Pretoria - Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) are pleading with the City of Tshwane to waive its by-laws requiring them to fork out thousands for land rights.
Without them, the facilities said they were unable to receive health certificates to reopen during the lockdown. They said they had gone to the extent of using their last resources to ensure the facilities were prepared and safe enough to receive children.
Catherine Banyane, chairperson of the Sisonke North Forum, representing 50 centres in the city, said many of them operated from backyard dwellings or structures in their yards.
She said as most were run as non-profit organisations, they simply could not afford to pay the exorbitant rezoning and land use rights costs.
Banyane said what made things worse was that the centres were located in poor communities and could not charge parents extra fees.
“A crèche was told to fork out over R140 000 for the land use, but that’s more the value of the entire facility. Most charge at maximum R350 per child, so there is no way anyone can raise that money.
“It’s not that we don’t want to comply with the by-laws or be given a free pass by the municipality, but we too have to make ends meet.”
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said in terms of the Town Planning Scheme, land use rights had to be in place or acquired before permission was granted to operate childcare, except for those with fewer than six children.
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Pretoria News