Cape Town - Aggrieved Bo-Kaap residents have erected shacks along Voetboog Road as cries for affordable housing in the historic area have become louder.
It is the fourth time they have done so and they say they will do so again until the City meets them to hear their concerns about gentrification and a lack of housing.
Last week chaos erupted when the City’s anti-land invasion unit demolished the residents’ shacks and pepper-sprayed them. The area has been a hotbed of discontent with the court recently ordering the SA Human Rights Commission to facilitate talks between developers and disgruntled Bo-Kaap residents regarding concerns over construction in the area.
Residents of Bo-Kaap were yesterday hard at work building the dwellings. Shamiel Salie, 50, said newcomers to the slave settlement suburb were complaining about the adhan, or Muslim call to prayer, which was an attack on their heritage and culture.
He and Shahied Robain said they want City officials to meet them to discuss a way forward instead of tearing down their shacks.
“We are building again to see what will happen, if they will come and meet with us,” Robain said.
Transport and urban development Mayco member Brett Herron said: “I would be happy to meet with residents to discuss affordable housing and how we can mitigate against the impact of gentrification.
“The national housing code dictates who qualifies for state provided or assisted housing and we are bound by those rules. In general, families whose household income is below R15 000 per month qualify for some state housing product.
Bo-Kaap residents erected shacks for a fourth time on Sunday along Voetboog Road to call for affordable housing in the area. Resident Shamiel Salie, 50, explains why. Video: Francesca Villette
“We have indicated our commitment to providing affordable inner-city housing through partnering with social housing companies who provide rental accommodation - our contribution would be subsidised or discounted access to City-owned land.
We have already identified 11 City-owned sites within the greater CBD area - including Woodstock and Salt River. That was simply a first phase. We are continuing to identify additional sites.”
Ward councillor Brandon Golding said he would not meet with a “group of land invaders” as they needed to communicate formally through bodies or organisations.
Golding said he had been in discussions with Bo-Kaap associations and if the “land invaders” wanted to meet him, they should work through the groupings.
It would also be “unfair ” to go and visit them to talk as there were many areas where people were unlawfully settling, and they could not escape the fact that they were “against policy”.
“The reaction to what they are doing is going to be the same - the anti-land invasion unit will come in. I can’t talk to a group of land invaders separately and negotiate,” Golding said.
Bo-Kaap Civic Association chairperson Osman Shaboodien confirmed that they met Golding to discuss arranging meetings with relevant City officials to make affordable housing a reality.
Shaboodien said if the City provided land, the association would work with it to make sure the process ran smoothly.
“Erecting shacks is a symbolic form of protest and we support the residents.”