City housing projects to the value of R1,3 billion under threat from land invasions
23 July 2020
What appears to be mostly orchestrated attempts to invade land and illegally occupy City projects are threatening housing and human settlements projects to the value of some R1,3 billion.
Should these projects be lost, it will not only be to the extreme detriment of the potential and future beneficiaries, it is to the detriment of Cape Town as a community. The City is doing all it can to prevent the continued attempts to invade land and projects. This comes in the wake of various activist bodies, political parties, pronouncements from the highest office bearers and court cases which are primarily contributing to the spike in attempts to illegally occupy land and developments in Cape Town. Last week alone, there were 17 land invasions which were mostly stopped. It must be noted this is all happening during what is still a nationally proclaimed COVID-19 lockdown period.
The majority of the most flooded informal settlement areas in Cape Town resulting from the storm last week are newly invaded settlements that have not been earmarked for housing as the land is unsuitable because it is a flood plain or wetland.
Coming in the wake of much pressure from various corners against the City’s anti-land invasion operations, some are likely taking the opportunity to destabilise and justify lawlessness. Attempted and/or successful invasions have occurred on conservation land, on City projects, threatening the opportunities of rightful beneficiaries, and also on community facilities including parks and playgrounds, among others. Attempts continue unabated and actions to prevent this criminal act is being met with extreme violence, looting in some instances, destruction of community facilities, disruption of services and instability all round. Criminal acts should be punished and perpetrators must be brought to book.
‘The City, together with law enforcement agencies, is doing its best to thwart the attempts but it is mostly large-scale, well-planned, well-funded and orchestrated invasions. Actions to prevent the invasions or illegal occupations are also being met in some areas with extreme violence and destruction of property and the breaking down of community facilities. It is clear that many thousands of law-abiding residents are silently bearing the severe impact of land invasions due to the unlawful actions of a relatively small group of people who occupy land illegally,’ said the City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato.
Attempts to illegally occupy land, City projects or community facilities include several orchestrated attempts in Mfuleni and Khayelitsha. Other areas include Wallacedene, Delft (Blikkiesdorp), Dunoon, Firgrove (Macassar), Milnerton, Nyanga among others.
‘What we have here is likely a situation of political and other opportunism. Encouraged by those shouting for the City not to act against land invasions and illegal occupation, many now see this as a green light to go and invade land, community facilities and City projects.
‘This comes in the wake of the court case involving the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), represented by the pro land invasion Legal Resource Centre. It seeks to interdict the City from conducting any and all anti-land invasion operations. The SAHRC is further asking the court to void all existing court orders protecting specific sites from invasion.
‘The EFF has joined the SAHRC matter as a third party, but looking specifically at Mfuleni, where it is involved. This party also argues the City may not perform operations on City land or to protect the nature conservation land as the case may be.
‘There needs to be a societal consensus that we do not move forward and make progress when we invade land. Look at the flooding misery where newly invaded areas have been the most affected by the recent storms. We also do not have the resources as a City to continuously divert funds from planned projects in our Integrated Development Plan to newly invaded areas. The money we are getting from the national government is decreasing but the settlements and basic services needs are increasing. It does not add up. It is simply negative for Cape Town as a community in general and we simply cannot sustain this. To have R1,3 billion of projects under threat – and this is just the impact on housing and not on other services – is simply mind blowing. We engage with communities, we talk, we listen but we cannot talk when someone is holding a petrol bomb in their hands. Actions to prevent land invasions happen across South Africa and protests ensue. We need to get all levels of government and our society together and say this is not on – this is not the way we do things in South Africa anymore. Land owners must also ensure that they protect their land from illegal occupation, especially if it is large, unfenced land.
‘We will also strengthen our inter-governmental relations platforms where we can, as it appears that lawlessness is being strengthened in the highest offices of the country, be it deliberately or negligently. In June, Mayor Dan Plato wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that he call an urgent meeting with all spheres of government to address a sustainable and coordinated way forward as the limited resources allocated to municipalities combined with legislative constraints make the prevention of unlawful land occupation increasingly difficult. The Mayor has also called on the South African Police Service to act and support the City,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi.
The City monitors attempts to invade land and illegally occupy projects and acts where it can. It uses aerial imagery, among others, to track attempts to occupy land. It uses photographs and video to document operations. It makes decisions on operations in collaboration with a number of stakeholders, including the South African Police Service and the relevant law enforcement operations. It follows the rule of law and as in the rest of the country, it attempts to thwart land invasion as it becomes flood-, fire-, health- and safety risks for the occupiers and the broader communities.
Anonymous tip-offs welcomed:
Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
