Cape Town - Chaos broke out at a meeting in Bonteheuwel between community leaders and members of the Bonteheuwel Infill housing project.
Community leaders were ordered to leave the meeting after they objected to the City’s plans of proposed housing developments in the area,
“The meeting was not fruitful. The City is deliberately forcing this project on us and we voiced our thoughts after they insisted that they will go ahead with the plans which we have rejected and then we were told to leave,” said community leader David Pillay.
Pillay said the proposed housing plan provided a gateway for more substance abuse and crime in the area.
“The area is already a killing field and building houses in this area will worsen the situation because the area is so full and this allows people to open drug shops and allows them to do illicit things,” he said.
In December, the Cape Argus reported that residents of Bonteheuwel were up in arms over the new Bonteheuwel project steering committee’s housing plan because they were not consulted.
Residents were adamant that they don’t need houses because the area has become overcrowded. Part of the plan involves the City building over the community’s recreational centres where there are sports facilities.
Pillay said the infrastructure was already poor in Bonteheuwel.
“The committee is also very biased. The Bonteheuwel Infill housing project and processes remain questionable to me and the sector,” he said.
Ward councillor Angus McKenzie said: “David Pillay, who represents the sports forum on the committee, has never held any meeting or session with sporting bodies is not involved in sports in the community. He insisted that the people of Bonteheuwel, including the close to 10000 backyard dwellers, did not want houses.”
McKenzie said he could assure residents that the project would not be side tracked by the individuals who tried to stall the developments.
“In the same way the Bonteheuwel CBD upgrade project was stalled by similar individuals, an attempt was made by these individuals to make sure that Bonteheuwel residents requiring homes will never get them.
“The Infill housing project has been approved and will continue. I urge residents to reject these individuals that are fighting tooth and nail to halt development in the area,” he said.
@MarvinCharles17