Cape Town - Frustrated Philippi residents living in informal settlements and farm dwellings have slammed the City and police for not delivering on promises of service delivery.
Various Philippi communities under the banner of the Philippi Horticulture Area Social Economic Development Forum (PHA SEDF) marched to their police station on Wednesday to hand over a memorandum of demands to councillor Elton Jansen and Philippi station commander Adriaan Saulse.
In their memorandum, they demanded housing, employment opportunities, essential services, better policing, health-care services, and an end to ongoing farm evictions.
PHA SEDF chairperson AB Fransman said the protest was a result of the City and police’s lack of response to their woes, despite the communities having raised them on numerous occasions over the years.
“I have been living in this area for over 56 years now, that’s years before Egoli and Jim se Bos existed. But till today there is no service delivery to these communities.
“Instead, more issues are cropping up, all stemming from the lack of service delivery.
“For example, we had taps and toilets until they broke down. We called our ward councillor for help, and aside from making empty promises nothing was done.
“I know the City cannot immediately provide us with housing, but they can provide land.
“Former human settlements Mayco member Madikizela had made promises to us before they kicked him out. Now we are back to square one,” Fransman said.
Pine Acker community leader Merelyn Sias said: “We want better services from the City and the SAPS. When we call the SAPS they don’t know where our areas are, but you see them here buying Coke from the shops.
“Today, Philippi is here, Jim se Bos, Sonestraal farm and Pine Ackers to name a few all chanting for the same thing – service delivery now.”
Egoli resident 38-year-old Janine Pieterse said: “As a woman, living here is hard, not having access to basic amenities, being ignored by police, it’s as if my human rights are not worth anything. But that can’t be true, we are due services like other communities too.”
Also in attendance at the protest demonstration, the EFF said that it was also demanding that the area’s local councillor respond to residents’ calls for service delivery after failing them for years.
EFF Cape Metro regional treasurer Aishah Cassiem said: “The farming area of ward 43 is often ignored when it comes to service delivery. Councillor Jansen needs to realise that ward 43 is more than just Strandfontein and Bayview.
“He must start working for all his residents within the ward, especially the poor living in dire conditions across the farming area.”
PHA SEDF said that it was giving the City and SAPS until July 30 to respond to its demands.