Cape Town – A mayoral committee meeting of the Stellenbosch Municipality has been held to expedite social
housing planning for residents of
Cloetesville during the 2019/20
financial year.
The move comes as members of the Ida’s Valley Housing Forum threatened to invade land owned by the Stellenbosch Municipality after deputy mayor Nyaniso Jindela cancelled a scheduled meeting to discuss housing and other issues with them at the last minute on Monday.
Stuart Grobbelaar, communications manager for governance in the office of the municipal manager, said: “Mayor Gesie van Deventer has indeed made operational funds available to expedite social housing planning for residents of Cloetesville, and Ida’s Valley in particular, during the 2019/20 financial year.
“The new financial year started only two weeks ago and details are still being finalised.”
Spokesperson of the group
Sherileen Phillips said: “I had met with the deputy mayor on Sunday and he had assured me everything was okay and he would be addressing us at Lückhoff High School hall on Monday evening, as planned. Imagine my surprise on Monday morning to receive an email from the municipality cancelling the meeting, with no
explanation or apology.”
Cancelling the meeting via email on Monday morning, Farida le Roux, personal assistant to the executive deputy mayor, sent an email to the Idas Valley Housing Forum, saying: “With reference to the payment of venue, please be advised that Lückhoff informed our offices that the hall was not available, and thus we could not book the hall.”
“Please note that all invitations and meeting requests are accepted on the basis that they could be cancelled due to emergencies which may arise and require the deputy mayor’s attention,” Le Roux wrote.
Said Grobbelaar: “The deputy mayor met with representatives of the Ida’s Valley Housing Forum on Sunday. He made an effort to find common ground and a proposal for a way forward, but to no avail.
"The representatives made unreasonable demands. (These) included the stopping of the Ida’s Valley Housing Project, a project identified as a priority.”
Phillips said: “I can’t understand why he met with our fellow protesters from the Cloetesville Backyard Dwellers Forum but will not meet with us.”