Cape Town - Members of the Ruyterwacht Community Association (RCA) and housing assembly on Tuesday held what they called a “mass noise protest”, outside the Pinelands offices of social housing giant Communicare, in the hope of persuading them to stop selling off properties.
During the protest, at which protesters banged pots and pans together for effect, RCA had hoped to hand over a memorandum of complaints to Communicare, but had to leave without doing so, after they found the offices were locked and nobody was at the site.
RCA spokesperson Mandisa Zamile said: “Community members were frustrated by the fact that no one wanted to receive our memo.
“We asked members of SAPS and law enforcement to ask one employee to come and accept the memo, but they told us there was nobody at the office.
“When the police escorted us to the offices, we found notices on the glass doors saying: No walk in allowed. The offices were locked and so we left without anyone receiving our memo,” said Zamile.
She claimed this was one of a number of attempts by the RCA to engage with Communicare, who they accused of only ever responding to the RCA through the media.
In a statement,the RCA said: “From the word go, RCA is the one that reaches out to Communicare not the other way around.
“Communicare requested a legal mandate on the assumption that we don’t have one, but how are we going to show it to them, if they never open doors for negotiations with us?”
Responding to the protest, Communicare released a statement, in which they said they were disappointed that the RCA and others had embarked on yet another protest against house sales in Ruyterwacht.
Communicare said they had agreed to an RCA recommendation to buy the properties owned by their members, after the RCA approached them in August.
As part of the agreement, Communicare said they requested a written legal mandate from the RCA, stating that they have the authority to negotiate on behalf of tenants.
Communicare chief operations officer Makhosi Kubheka said: “This is a reasonable request under the circumstances. The RCA was asked to table their purchase offer, which has also not been forthcoming.”
“We have invited the RCA to join our regular meetings, with tenants and their representatives, to engage Communicare and the community about their concerns. The door remains open for the RCA to discuss their issues.
“I am surprised that the RCA has now had a change of heart and wants to stop the sale of property in Ruyterwacht. Both tenants and Communicare are confused about the RCA’s current position on the sale.
“It’s unclear if they recognise Communicare as the legitimate owners and want to purchase the property, or if they oppose the sale,” said Kubheka.
She said Communicare had made it clear that no tenants will be left destitute as a result of the sales programme, and that tenants who do not purchase their homes will be accommodated in apartments owned by Communicare.