Cape Town - The provincial government has defended itself and the DA against accusations by Good party secretary-general Brett Herron of failure to provide inner-city housing as promised during campaigning for the 2019 general election.
Herron said: “DA Western Cape provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela's promise on the eve of the 2019 general election about plans to develop 10 000 affordable homes in inner-city Cape Town has been exposed as a lie.
“Last October I submitted a written question to Madikizela requesting a progress report on the project. He responded that he had been speaking in his then capacity as Human Settlements MEC, and any update would have to be provided by his successor, Tertuis Simmers.”
“Madikizela, now MEC for Transport and Public Works, added a list of 11 inner-city properties that had been released by the Department of Transport and Public Works for human settlements purposes. In December I submitted written questions to Simmers.”
In his questions to Simmers, Herron said: “On March 26, 2019 the previous Human Settlements MEC confirmed to the legislature that 8.4 hectares of land were being released in the Bo-Kaap, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof and in the CBD of Cape Town for extraordinary high-density housing for 10 000 beneficiaries.
“How many hectares of land have been transferred to the Department of Human Settlements by the Department of Transport and Public Works in the Bo-Kaap, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof and the CBD for housing purposes?”
Simmers said: “My department has not received transfer of land in Bo-Kaap, Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof nor in the CBD from any state Department. There have not been any properties transferred to my department.”
On Thursday, responding to Herron on behalf of the provincial government, the premier’s spokesperson, Bianca Capazorio, said: “The allegation by MPL Brett Herron is incorrect and we recommend that he retract his statement.
“The facts are as follows: MEC Madikizela said before the legislature that land had been secured. This is indeed true, as the Department of Transport and Public Works made parcels of provincial government owned land available to the Department of Human Settlements and granted them power of attorney over it.
“In MPL Herron’s parliamentary question, he specifically asked if any land had been transferred between departments. The ownership of land cannot be transferred between departments, and is usually only transferred by the custodian department, directly to a beneficiary on completion and sale,” said Capazorio.
“MEC Simmers indicated in his response, that no land had been transferred, which is correct as explained above. MPL Herron should know this difference, having previously served as a mayco member.
“The Western Cape Government takes spatial redress seriously as reflected in our Conradie Better Living Model, the Belhar CBD development, and our extensive plans for the Somerset Precinct. Further announcements regarding the use of property in our portfolio will follow in due course,” said Capazorio.
Commenting on the dispute, Ndifuna Ukwazi’s attorney Jonty Cogger said: "The political tussle between the Good party and the DA should not distract the public from the main issue, which is the continued lack of clarity regarding the provincial government's plans to build 10 000 affordable homes in inner-city Cape Town as a means to address the city's housing crisis.
“This would be a vital intervention to provide much-needed housing and simultaneously contribute to redressing the legacy of spatial apartheid.
“Ndifuna Ukwazi accordingly calls on the provincial government to demonstrate accountability, transparency and electoral honesty regarding progress on these sites,” said Cogger.
Cape Argus