New Transport Minister misinforms parliament on Central Line relocation
17 May 2023
The Central Line relocation process is a Presidential Priority Project
led and managed by National Government. In particular, Prasa has appointed the
Housing Development Agency (HDA) as its implementing agent to manage that
process, which includes the determination of suitable land for the
relocation, as well as to manage the development of that land and to make
submissions for any necessary planning or other approvals that will be required
before such relocation can take place. Prasa obtained an eviction order to this
effect, which must be executed by November this year. The City of Cape Town is
the planning authority for all development and land use in the City under the
Municipal Planning By-law and it is in this role that the City will assess
any application for such development rights that the HDA require, once they
have determined and secured access to a site in the City to which this
relocation is proposed. This information is freely available in the official
Intergovernmental Protocol Agreement which all three spheres of government have
signed. New Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga therefore made incorrect
statements in the National Assembly on 16 May 2023 to the effect that the
project is the ‘responsibility’ of the City of Cape Town.
'At best, new Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga is uninformed about the Central Line relocation project, and at worst, deliberately misinformed parliament yesterday. At my recent first meeting with the new Minister, I got the impression that she was not well briefed by her department on the history and current situation regarding Prasa's proposed relocation of those who are illegally occupying the Central Line. I am advising Minister Chikunga to first familiarise herself with the facts before speaking about this matter in public,' said Councillor Rob Quintas, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility.
The HDA has the responsibility of identifying land parcels, and for undertaking the necessary development and land use applications to establish emergency housing to accommodate the unlawful occupants of Prasa's Central Line.
The City will follow due process in terms of the Municipal Planning By-law and other applicable policies in assessing the rezoning and development applications. To date, however, the City has not received any application from the HDA. The City has offered extensive assistance to the HDA and Prasa in terms of the facilitation and application of the planning approval process to date by way of almost weekly task team meetings.
Regarding the R111m transferred without notice to the City on the last day of national government's financial year on 30 March by National Human Settlements, these funds can only be used for human settlement purposes or informal settlement upgrading provided National Treasury grants the necessary approvals for the City to use these funds outside of the current local government financial year ending 30 June.
The City already has funds allocated for the 16 informal settlements Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi is proposing the R111m be used for. Planning and servicing work for these settlements, formed during the Covid-19 lockdown, is either already complete, under way, or imminent. Regarding the potential use of some or all of the funding for purposes of basic services for the central line relocations, this again is subject to Treasury approval as well as Prasa and HDA's project readiness.
While the City does not wish to assume any nefarious intentions on the part of Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, the receipt of the money on the last day of the government's financial year has all the hallmarks of fiscal dumping - trying to get rid of unspent money at the last moment so that it doesn't appear on the National Department's books. Nevertheless, the City is happy to receive these funds and will spend it once the necessary Treasury approvals are secured.
'Commuters from the metro-south east are desperate for the Central Line to operate and the City shares these concerns. We are committed to seeing this happen and await the necessary development application from Prasa and the HDA,' said Cllr Quintas.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
