Cape Town -A group of residents living along the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) Central Line rail tracks in Langa and Philippi have given the Inter-governmental Committee 28 days to announce progress on their relocation.
Chanting “enough is enough,” the group picketed and handed over a memorandum of grievances to officials on Thursday.
“As communities living on the Prasa Railway Line we submit our demands to the executive mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
“We want the mayor to address and commit the City to our demands. We have been advised that the City is an obstacle in our project, that the City is refusing to process the Section 68 by-law within its internal processes as discussed in the Intergovernmental Committee which the City is part of.
"This is the response we received from Human Development Agency (HDA) when we have been asking about the progress report in terms of what was agreed in a signed Social Compact Document which gave birth to the Implementation Plan (IP) signed by the most senior decision-making officials such as DGs, the city manager and CEOs,” said Loyiso Mabandla, representing the railway occupiers.
This comes after the City rejected a request to approve the relocation of the occupants on a temporary, emergency basis, saying: “The City has determined that the current relocation proposal put forward by Prasa and HDA does not meet the requirements for consideration as a temporary emergency relocation site under Section 68 of the MPBL.”
The Central Line, which includes stations to areas such as Langa, Philippi and Khayelitsha, has not been operational since November 2019 due to vandalism, cable theft and shacks being erected on the tracks.
Mabandla claimed that people were not living on rail tracks by choice but many were retrenched at the height of Covid-19 and could not afford rent.
They have demanded the national government declares the project a “Cabinet project” and to involve the National Treasury.
“The City must agree to consider and include this project as part of its Business Plan/IDP for 2023/2024 for basic services. HDA must have been able to produce proof that they have secured the land for us for relocation purposes.
“The City must start the processes of applying for USDG/USIP Grant/ Funding from the National Department of Human Settlements for relocation purposes.
“The HDA must lodge the formal application process to the City for consideration in order for the planning department, for Mayco and Council approval,” said Mabandla.
The City confirmed receipt of the memorandum but would not comment on the demands, saying it was still studying the contents. The HDA did not respond by deadline on Thursday.
Cape Times