Cape Town - The Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) party has taken issue with the City for what it said was a failure to address dilapidated public housing staircases on the Cape Flats.
The party said the City has been aware of the issue since February.
CCC leader Fadiel Adams said: “We approached this matter in a decent fashion, to avoid being labelled hooligans. Our plight for a safe environment to live in is being ignored.
“These flats are owned by the City and they are duty-bound to ensure that their tenants are treated humanely. They have intentionally decided that the coloured community can wait until they decide it is fit for us to live like human beings.
“We received correspondence where the City has lied to Congress claiming the staircases are compliant with current regulations. The mayor has decided to stand by his staff that are misleading him and lying to us all.
“This is in relation to missing treads on stairs, loose balustrades, and so many issues. We reported these in video graphic evidence to the City. To date that has also been ignored.”
Adams said they had been engaging with the mayor on the staircases in Lavender Hill, Manenberg and Parklands.
City spokesperson Greg Wagner said: “Mayor Dan Plato met Cape Coloured Congress on July 6. The matter of the staircases was on the agenda.”
Mayoral committee member for human settlements Malusi Booi said the City is aware of the repair work needed in Manenberg.
“The health and safety of our residents is our priority and we urge residents to please be patient while we attend to the most urgent cases first.
“The City’s public housing department has spent close to R1billion in maintenance and upgrades to its community residential units, including fixing and replacing staircases.”
Cape Argus