City Human Settlements’ Portfolio Committee checks on informal settlements
22 October 2024
Members of the City’s Human Settlements’ Portfolio Committee, including its Chairperson, Councillor Albert Ntsodo, visited several informal settlements located across the metro to check on City efforts to improve living conditions and service provision on the ground.
‘Informality is a reality in Cape Town, as it is across South Africa and many parts of the world, driven by a complex interplay of factors such as poverty, rapid urbanisation, inadequate access to affordable housing, unemployment and inequality. While national government's housing shortfalls and slow regulatory reform play a significant role, other contributing factors include economic instability, lack of land tenure, rural-to-urban migration and insufficient infrastructure development. These challenges, compounded by global economic pressures and climate-related displacement, further exacerbate the growth of informal settlements.
‘Oversight visits are an important way for us as committee members to get out of meeting rooms and into the communities we are assisting to see for ourselves how our residents are living. The City is committed to providing safer and healthier housing opportunities for those living in inadequate housing. Basic services including access to water, sanitation, refuse removal and energy are provided where the City is able to do so.
‘The Human Settlements Portfolio Committee carried out a number of oversight visits in several areas around the metro to have a look at where improvements in service delivery can be made. We extend our sincere gratitude to communities across the metro for working with the City. Community support plays a vital role in the provision of services and stability of informal settlements and we again thank residents, the broader communities and all City teams,’ said Councillor Ntsodo.
The settlements visited included:
• Kalbaskraal
• Garden Cities
• Bosasa
• Military Heights
• Village Heights
The City is focussing on mainstreaming and enhancing basic services in informal settlements and committed to major upgrades to informal settlements worth R3,7bn over three years in its 2024/25 budget. The strategic response to the realities on the ground in informal settlements is contained within the City's Human Settlements Strategy which is the key informant to the City's plans. For more information on the City's Human Settlements Strategy visit: http://bit.ly/CCT-HSStrategy
Beneficiaries of City housing projects are selected in accordance with the City's Housing Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register to ensure housing opportunities are made available in a fair and transparent manner that prevents queue jumping and to those who qualify for housing as per the South African legislation. The City's political office bearers do not have access to or influence over the Register and its qualifying beneficiaries.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
