Cape Town – Four households refusing to make way for the construction of the remaining low-cost housing units have brought the N2 Gateway housing project to a halt.
As a result the project is four years behind schedule, as it was due for completion in 2013. The provincial Human Settlements Department said it will consider legal action to move the four families as a last resort.
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, spokesperson for Human Settlements’ MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, said: “Having put in place a newly-elected project steering committee, we would want to work with this committee to engage with those members of the community who are refusing to move.”
So far 1 296 out of 2 886 houses have been completed and occupied, and the remaining 1 590 were being delayed by the four families refusing to move.
The development has a total of 27 disabled-friendly units. Siyathemba Mzamo, 30, said he and the other families were demanding to be allocated houses in the project before they moved, and were not happy with the designs of the housing units, complaining they were not disabled-friendly.
Mzamo, who is living with his four-month-old baby and had his shack demolished three weeks ago, said in the last phase of the project he was asked to relocate, but he never benefited after the houses were completed.
He accused the previous steering committee of being corrupt and selling the housing units to their friends.
“This whole project must be investigated because there is a lot of corruption going on. The beneficiaries of the last phase are well-off people, who are driving fancy cars, despite the project being meant for the poor people. It’s such a sad situation to be treated like this, but I have constitutional rights like everyone else.” Nowethu Ntlutha said she is not going to move until she gets an assurance that she would benefit from the housing project.
“Young children in their 20s and 30s and people from places like Khayelitsha benefit from this project, whereas I have to move from shack to shack. I refuse to be treated like dirt.”
Makoba-Somdaka added: “The delays have largely been due to residents not wanting to relocate in order for construction to continue.” She said various interventions had been applied by the department in an attempt to proceed with construction, which included one-on-one consultations with the affected families and residents and community meetings.