Cape Town - Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Thoko Didiza has submitted her detailed plan on the redevelopment of District Six to the Land Claims Court at the 11th hour for claimants who lodged claims between 1994 and 1998.
The plan outlines 954 housing units to be allocated to individual claimants. The proposed plan provides for about 13ha of land, and leaves 13.39ha of land available to accommodate high-density developments.
In the plan, the department stated that the preferred units included rows of double-storey or semi-detached houses with a double-pitched roof laid out along relatively narrow, enclosed streets to create urban development.
The framework plan is one of the crucial elements in the District Six restitution case. It means the state can be held to the budget and time-frames stipulated to ensure that the redevelopment of the remaining dwellings of the 954 claimants, who filed their claims in 1998, is finalised early next year.
Once these claimants have their dwellings, the 2014 to 2016 claimants totalling about 1500 will be next on the state’s plans. Didiza submitted the “framework plan” as part of the District Six restitution process.
Submitting her plans came in the wake of litigation instituted by the working committee against Didiza’s predecessor, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who had agreed to provide a copy of the framework plan by February this year, after an order granted by Judge Jody Kollapen in 2018. After missing this deadline, the court issued a punitive-costs order against the minister for her role in the District Six delays.
The phases of the various developments would run concurrently until phase seven.
The department will in total contribute R280million to the project in the 2019/2020 financial year.
Rural Development and Land Reform spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo said: “Engagements with interested parties have taken place, including the meeting of the minister with the affected claimants on Saturday, with further engagements envisaged.
“Quarterly reports are to be submitted to the court, disclosing progress on the redevelopment plan. Construction is to be done in phases, with phase 3 under way and due to be completed in 2020. Also, the 954 claimants (noting that some claimants may still opt for financial compensation) are still awaiting dwellings,” he said.
@MarvinCharles17