The ongoing threats of invasion of completed units in the City of Cape Town’s Mau Mau housing development; continuing vandalism and the growing intimidation by a grouping from Nyanga will not be tolerated.

The City is currently developing the Mau Mau housing project which stretches over two sites in Gugulethu and Nyanga, however the continued illegal actions from a Nyanga grouping are jeopardising the allocation of houses in the project to the rightful beneficiaries. 

In December 2019 members from the Nyanga Development Forum (NDF), a grouping that does not form part of the legitimate and publically elected Project Steering Committee forced two rightful elderly beneficiaries, aged 80 and 76, out of their newly completed units and left their furniture on the street. The two elderly beneficiaries have since opened cases with the South African Police Service (SAPS). The City is confident that appropriate action will be taken by the SAPS. The NDF believes that as these beneficiaries hail from New Crossroads they should not be allowed to receive the units as no one from New Crossroads should.

It should be noted that:

• New Crossroads officially forms part of the project, and that eligible beneficiaries from that area are being considered for allocation to the Mau Mau site
• These beneficiaries are included by virtue of an approved Allocation Request Form (ARF) that was signed in June 2016 after extensive public consultation
• There were no objections from the NDF at the time
• Qualifying identified beneficiaries from New Crossroads do not have the opportunity to benefit in any other projects in the area and many of these beneficiaries have been waiting a long time for a housing opportunity. They are therefore first in line in terms of their waiting list dates

On Friday 17 January 2020, community members under the leadership of the NDF gathered on the project site and demanded house keys from the contractor. The keys are not kept on site and the contractor could therefore not oblige. The community members remained on site and at approximately 18:00 started breaking down doors and spray painting names onto the walls of the units.

The majority of the 91 completed units were illegally occupied mostly by young people who are not on the approved project list.

Subsequently an operation was undertaken on Sunday 19 January 2020 during which all objects found inside the then vacant units were removed. The illegal occupiers had vacated the units.

Numerous attempts to engage the NDF meaningfully in the past have been unsuccessful. The City does not condone the methods of disruption which this group is employing, especially not the intimidation of approved beneficiaries and action will be taken against any illegal actions.

The housing need in Cape Town, as with other urban centres across South Africa is acute, and we cannot allow rightful beneficiaries who have waited their turn for an opportunity to be pushed out by those who have not been waiting long or who do not qualify for State-subsidised housing. This simply is not fair. As a government we must act to prevent queue-jumping and maintain fairness given the great need. That is why we will continue to do everything in our power to prevent the illegal occupation of our existing and planned projects and of our land.

Note to editors:
Due to the risk of vandalism and invasion of completed BNG houses, such is the situation in the Mau Mau development too, the City affords beneficiaries the choice to move into their homes before the electricity connections have been installed. Most beneficiaries prefer to do this and they will sign a letter of acceptance to indicate their agreement. Services are connected as soon as possible.

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