MyCiTi route row takes a new turn

File photo: David Ritchie

File photo: David Ritchie

Published Feb 1, 2015

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Cape Town - The ANC intends to lobby national government to suspend all funds for the expansion of MyCiTi bus routes if Cape Town transport officials do not reveal the upgrade costs.

Cameron Dugmore, the ANC member on the provincial transport and public works committee, on Saturday said the party wanted to know how much the controversial MyCiTi expansion routes would cost in Wynberg and Plumstead.

But councillor Brett Herron, the city’s mayoral committee member for transport, hit back at the ANC.

“The ANC is playing a very dangerous and irresponsible game in working to sabotage a vital transport project that will benefit people from communities that are in desperate need of rapid, affordable, dignified and direct transport,” he said.

Wynberg and Plumstead residents have meanwhile condemned the city’s plans to bulldoze their council-owned homes to expand the MyCiTi route.

The route’s expansion has meant residents face eviction so a new road could be built for the MyCiTi bus to pass through the southern suburbs. City officials had given residents until on Saturday to vacate their houses.

One of the residents, Clive Muller, said on Saturday they would “leave this matter in the hands of the court”.

“We are 26 families who are staying here and facing eviction,” said Muller.

Wynberg resident Kristina Davidson, chairwoman of the Wynberg Residents and Ratepayers Association, said they wanted Herron to show them an environmental impact report of building a road for the MyCiTi route.

“They are proposing to build a new road through an established residential area. People say it will be better for congestion. It won’t. It’s disastrous and will destroy heritage,” she said.

“They’re avoiding questions we keep asking them. Why are they demolishing houses and evicting people when they still have to do an environmental impact?”

Davidson added: “They’re misusing national government funding.”

Dugmore said Herron had been “unable to produce any costing of the South Road route and the Brodie Road couplet” where the proposed MyCiTi bus would operate. “This route requires expropriation of privately owned property. They have been unable to produce any costing and impact study for the alternative routes proposed by community organisations,” said Dugmore.

He said the ANC supported the MyCiTi project but wanted an “inclusive task-team to be set up to investigate all alternatives” in Wynberg and Plumstead.

“The ANC will lobby national government to suspend all funding for phase two (of the project) until this demand is met,” said Dugmore.

He added: “The ANC does not want to sabotage anything. This is a matter of principle. It’s about the constitutional obligation to consult and treat communities with respect.

“The DA is lying to communities and abusing them. We have to stand together with communities and take this city and province forward.”

Dugmore said he had written to Lennit Max, who chairs the provincial legislature’s standing committee on transport and public works.

The committee’s first meeting is set for Tuesday and Dugmore has asked Max to invite Herron as well as affected residents to attend the meeting.

“The purpose is to question the city about their failure to consult affected communities and explore all alternatives for the proposed MyCiTi route. Also to ask the community structures to present their alternative routes,” said Dugmore.

“It is critical Herron answers why they are proceeding with demolition of council houses while the consultation process has not begun.”

Herron said the ANC “can fight to prevent this service for the sake of 26 families who are renting city-owned suburban houses”.

He said the 26 families “all agreed to the terms of their leases which provides that those leases and their right to occupancy can be terminated when the South Road scheme is needed to be implemented”.

“In doing so, the ANC is turning their backs on about 1.4 million residents across 35 communities who stand to benefit,” said Herron.

He said a new road needed to be built as the MyCiTi bus cannot travel on any road.

 

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