Cape Town – In his final council meeting for the year, Mayor Dan Plato took aim at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), the EFF and what he described as “disingenuous NGO groupings”, saying they were targeting the City's ability to protect property during land invasion attempts.
“While we have been able to put measures in place to deal with many of the unexpected challenges we faced this year, there are some challenges that continue to place a strain on our resources, and which we have effectively been hamstrung from dealing with due to regulatory and political reasons,” Plato said.
“The City of Cape Town is currently facing down a highly publicised legal charge to dismantle the last lines of defence against land invasion attempts.
’’The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), EFF and disingenuous NGO groupings are targeting the ability to protect property during land invasion attempts, arguing that landowners should not have the right to remove incomplete and unoccupied structures without a court order,” said Plato.
“The SAHRC/EFF are in effect seeking to tie the hands of public and private landowners, to the detriment of all law-abiding citizens.
’’They claim to argue on behalf of the poor. But while we all suffer, it is often vulnerable residents who suffer most from the impact of illegal land occupations,” said Plato.
EFF provincial spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said the party would defend the constitutional right of people to a dignified life.
“That dignified life includes among other things a roof over someone's head. Plato and his racist DA-led Western Cape government are not in touch with the realities of our people on the ground, hence they behave in a manner that is not in sync with the values of the restoration of human dignity.
“They will never understand the indignity of one's landlessness. As the EFF in the Western Cape, we don't take Plato seriously because he is the puppet that serves the interests of white people at the expense of the majority of our people. We therefore have no obligation to address him,” said Kasibe.
The SAHRC had not responded to questions by deadline.
Cape Times