#Elections2019: ANC, DA ‘to blame for District Six crisis’

Published Apr 11, 2019

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Cape Town - Blame for the sluggish development of District Six, a Cape Town suburb, should be placed at the door of the government and is tangible proof why restitution and land reform has failed.

So said Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald while addressing the media at the incomplete District Six housing complex that came to a complete standstill following the liquidation of the Durban-based company Fikile Construction in November 2017.

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform subsequently axed the building contractor of phase three of the development. The construction was expected to be completed last year with 108 housing units for claimants.

Last month, Judge Jody Kollapen granted the claimants a declaratory order forcing the department to make good on its promise of restitution.

After more than 21 years, claimants are still waiting to move back. A total of 2760 claims for restitution were handed in, of which 1249 took financial compensation. At least 132 houses were built and 1062 people are still waiting for their homes.

“This is proof of the government’s incompetence to handle the project. Now, 21 years later, claimants have to ask the court to force the government to honour their claims. The present land issue and housing problem in the country are the ANC’s fault due to mismanagement, corruption and poor policy,” Groenwald said.

The party’s provincial premier candidate Peter Marais said the project was an example of a DA and ANC partnership, which was a disaster, adding that the project should have been handled by the Western Cape government.

“The FF+ is calling for the devolution of power to provinces, because we want to decide on who gets the tender and not Luthuli House. Until such time that the FF Plus governs the province you are not really going to see any amazing difference,” Marais said.

In response, the ANC Western Cape said “the heirs of the National Party can be found all over South Africa and that some of these beneficiaries of apartheid are in the FF+”.

Spokesperson Dennis Cruywagen said: “The fact that they have a coloured person as their Western Cape premier candidate does not mean that the party can go on merrily as if there was no apartheid and not an old South Africa.”

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