Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s Transport and Urban Development Authority has placed on hold its much-needed Maroela South housing project in Kraaifontein and Gugulethu roads rehabilitation project after protesters set alight machinery and pipes for civil engineering services.
On Monday evening, 15 October 2018, protesters in Gugulethu disregarded the interdict that the City had obtained, and burned three digger loaders stationed at the contractor’s management site. These digger loaders are worth approximately R2,25 million.
Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Brett Herron, said that these disruptions are hampering service delivery to the larger community of Gugulethu, who supports the roads project, and beneficiaries of the housing project who have been waiting patiently for years to receive their homes.
"It is with great sadness that, after violence, threats and vandalism by protesters, we have had to halt our Gugulethu roads rehabilitation project and our Maroela South housing project in Kraainfontein until further notice.
"Should this intimidation and attacks continue, the City will have no alternative but to spend the budget on projects in other areas where service delivery is also needed. This would be unfortunate as these projects aim to improve the lives of our residents, yet a small group of protesters are being opportunistic to drive their own agendas at the expense of other law-abiding citizens," Herron said.
"The purpose of the project is to provide the community with an improved and upgraded road network which will make road surfaces safer for motorists and pedestrians."
The project is also beneficial to the community as the contractor trains residents of Ward 40 and 41 to empower them with the skills as a minimum of approximately 10% of the contract value is to be spent on local labour within these wards. In addition, a minimum of approximately 5% of the contract value is to be spent on local business within the ward where the road reconstruction is taking place.
"The protesters seem to be young backyarders who want the City to build houses instead of roads. It is important for residents to note that the funding for road projects cannot be used for housing developments, as these are sourced from different national grant sources," Herron said.
"Furthermore, some opposition Councillors have been calling for a ‘legacy’ from contractors. It is not permissible for so-called ‘community leaders’, ‘forums’, or politicians to get involved with, or to demand favours or donations from City contractors. This is nothing short of corrupt extortion whereby local groups seek a ‘donation’ of equipment or assured employment from local contractors. Disputes and protests linked to these calls delay service delivery or place projects, like the Gugulethu roads rehabilitation project, at risk."
One of the digger loaders that were set alight in Gugulethu. Picture: City of Cape Town/Supplied
To ensure that the local community benefits, the City’s Transport and Urban Development Authority requires that a certain percentage of the contract value must be spent on temporary employment opportunities for local residents, as well as for local sub-contractors.
The City will not make use of the so-called development forums who want to act as a broker between the City and local residents and businesses. Temporary employment opportunities are sourced from the local subcouncil jobseekers database, and local businesses have to tender for sub-contracts – this way we ensure a transparent and fair process.
Maroela South housing project:
In Kraaifontein contractors have not been able to go on site for approximately three weeks since protesters set alight materials, including pipes, needed for the civil engineering services for the Maroela South housing project.
This project consists of 395 State-subsidised Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses for qualifying beneficiaries on the City’s housing database and 175 GAP houses for people who earn between R3 500 to R15 000 a month.
"Residents living in the Wallacedene Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) are demanding that the whole project be allocated to beneficiaries from the TRA, but this is in contravention of our Housing Allocation Policy," Herron added.
"The Maroela South housing project is not intended to benefit one specific community or group. Instead, the purpose of this project is to accommodate as many beneficiaries as possible who have been registered on the City’s housing database.
"The purpose of the City’s housing database is to ensure that housing opportunities are made available in a fair, transparent, systematic, and equitable manner, and in accordance with our Housing Allocation Policy to ensure that no one jumps the queue. We cannot allow a situation where certain residents get access to housing opportunities at the cost of those who have been waiting for years for the very same housing opportunity."
This photograph shows the pipes for the civil engineering services that were set alight in Kraaifontein. Picture: City of Cape Town/Supplied
Herron explained that while going forward in both these matters protestors should remember that the City allocates housing opportunities according to its housing database and in accordance with the City’s Housing Allocation Policy.
"In general, those residents who qualify and have been waiting for the longest are offered opportunities first. Should any resident feel they have been excluded, they can use available channels, such as their sub-councils, to raise their concerns in a law-abiding manner that does not place others at risk or infringe on the rights of others.
"Having said that, the City condemns the violence and the disruption of the much-needed service delivery to some of our most vulnerable residents," Herron explained.
"We are appealing to the communities of Wallacedene and Gugulethu to please report any information that they may have regarding these incidents to the South African Police Service so that it can be investigated and the perpetrators can be held responsible.
"In the meantime, we want to encourage our residents who have welcomed these projects to remain patient while the City, together with its contractors and other parties, determine a way forward."
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