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That Subcouncil 10 NOTED the draft inclusive Economic Growth Strategy.
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That the accompanying draft Public Participation Plan be supported for implementation.
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That the following comments forwarded by subcouncil 10 be added to the Draft Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy.
Introduction
The EGS was approved by Council in 2013. Even so, very little happened to create any kind of growth in Khayelitsha, leave alone any kind of inclusive growth. If anything, the growth that occurred in Cape Town has serially excluded Khayelitsha.
It is not that Sub-Council 10 has not done its best to bring growth to Khayelitsha or that it lacked a strategy.
Council Adopted Motion: Making Spine Road into a High Street
On 31 May 2017, a motion was introduced in full Council by Councillor Cassim seconded by Councillor Patrick Mngxunyeni to undertake a four year programme to transform part of Spine Road into a viable and vibrant high street, in other words the primary business street, in keeping with the commitment to reverse the damaging legacy of apartheid.
Even though the motion was adopted by Council, nothing happened to engage other sectors of government as well as government entities to help accelerate the transformation of Spine Road with economic opportunities for all in an environment of thriving democracy.
Even the request in the motion to publicize the City’s intention to develop Spine Road as a high street to arouse the interest of the business fraternity came to naught.
Sub-Council Motion: Creating Opportunities in Khayelitsha
At its meeting of 20 April, 2018, Sub-Council 10 unanimously approved a motion requesting Area Based Service Delivery to engage with it on creating economic opportunities in Khayelitsha especially on account of the accelerating climate change.
In spite of repeated requests for an engagement, up to August 2020 there has been absolutely no response.
This is a callous disregard of the aspirations of the sub-council and the people of Khayelitsha.
Council Adopted Motion: Improve ingress into and egress from Khayelitsha
On 25 October 2018 full council adopted a motion to deal with very serious traffic congestion in the morning and evening on Mew Way and Spine Road on account of the fact that the bridges over the N2 which were built 20 years ago to cater for a population of 200 000 remain the same bridges in 2020 to cater for a population that has swelled to a million people.
To date, nothing has been done to deal with this traffic chokehold
President Ramaphosa’s Infrastructure Fund
On 21 September 2018, President Ramaphosa announced a R400 billion “township and rural entrepreneurship fund” ... to provide finance to either scale up existing projects or provide start-up capital for new projects.”
https://ewn.co.za/2018/09/21/r400bn-fund-to-transform-infrastructure-projects
There was no effort to tap into these funds to help transform Cape Town’s apartheid era townships. What they were meant to be, they still are.
Page 283
On page 283 appears the following statement:
In the midst of these and other factors, the City is in need of a new economic strategy, one which emphasises growth but also inclusiveness.
The four bullet points, however, do not address the asymmetrical manner in which growth is being planned for. Furthermore, the emphasis that was supposed to be put on “inclusiveness” is blandly stated but not expanded on. It
remains as a sop to places likely Khayelitsha, not a strategy that its people can embrace.
How many home industries, factories, hotels, markets, construction depots, warehouses, cultural centres, tourism sites, wetland parks or processing plants exist in Cape Town?
What are the democracy dividends accruing to Khayelitsha?
How many athletes and sports people are coming through from Khayelitsha to make their mark provincially, nationally and internationally?
There is no real strategy for inclusive growth in Khayelitsha.
Page 296
The question we in Sub-Council 10 need to ask is this: what is the short, medium and long term plan for addressing the economic crisis in Khayelitsha spawning crime, substance abuse and violence?
An important question for us also is what involvement will the sub-council have in any collaboration between the city government, private sector and other spheres of government in order to identify and implement community level solutions that are sustainable on the one hand and allow for increased resilience on the other.
In August of 2015, the City announced that Khayelitsha was to get industrial a park. According to Deputy Mayor Ian Nielson, it was “vital that we drive an enabling environment for increased investment, to support entrepreneurs and to do all that we can to drive job creation.”
https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/khayelitsha-to-get-industrial-park-1895400
It is very clear to Sub-Council 10 that much will be promised and very little or nothing will be delivered.
It is extremely demeaning to the people of Khayelitsha to have the township regarded internationally as the fifth largest slum in the world.
https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2017/12/the-worlds-largest-slums-dharavi-kibera-khayelitsha-neza/
At our sub-council meeting of 24 August 2020, it was resolved that action should be taken to prevent Khayelitsha becoming a mainly informal settlement area. The fact that only one third of Khayelitsha’s population lives in formal structures is highly concerning. Such a situation will not be tolerated anywhere else in the City.
In order that formal structures can be built in a time of diminishing grants and resources, it is imperative that people who are on the Housing Waiting List be assigned undeveloped plots right away so that unlawful occupation on these sites can be averted. Once this is done and the transfer occurs to them, the City will be assisted in keeping those sites preserved for development.
Page 301
Stagnant Township Economies
Even though the City recognises that township areas have stagnant economies where high levels of poverty, unemployment and various social ills are prevalent, and where high population densities of low-income house households prevail, very little has been done to effect any turnaround.
To add insult to injury, it is acknowledged that township economies arguably offer the most opportune spaces for inclusive economic development, poverty reduction and social stability.
Why then is there no specific strategy for creating economic growth in areas such as Khayelitsha? Why should informal business activity be the main mode of business?
It is not as though there is no literature on what can and must be done to propel Khayelitsha’s economy. Here are some useful links:
1.
file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/10977.pdf
2.
https://search.proquest.com/openview/5c5535c93dad244e809b6a7a14fec131/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2044832
3.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12132-011-9134-9
4.
https://journals.openedition.org/metropoles/5545
5.
file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/Governance-Management-and-Implementation-Challenges-of-Local-Economic-Development-LED-in-Khayelitsha_2010.pdf
6.
file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/Governance-Management-and-Implementation-Challenges-of-Local-Economic-Development-LED-in-Khayelitsha_2010.pdf
7.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829216300247
8.
https://csp.treasury.gov.za/Resource%20Centre/Conferences/Documents/CS
P%20Tools/Economic%20Development/Township%20Economies%20Series%2
01%20Paper.pdf
9.
http://uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/image tool/images/36/Publications/Policy Briefs/
DPRU%20PB%2016 45.pdf
10.
http://www.bbqonline.co.za/articles/the-township-economy-23895.html
There are also suggestions in the August 2020 agenda of the Spatial Planning &
Environment Directorate on certain PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES FOR COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PLANNING INITIATIVES on page 315.
It says there that, “in general, the City encourages local communities to consider what they see as the desirable future for their areas. Community-driven planning initiatives is one method of affording this.”
The following information from pages 317 to 319 is, therefore, of crucial importance:
“Perceived promotion of continued isolation: City development/making is not an over-night process. It takes years, if not decades to undo any spatial injustice intoned by previous planning philosophies. Spatial division, according to race and class and separating communities physically through planning approaches was one such previous philosophy, and the remnants of this philosophy have left very real challenges in Cape Town. It is the duty of government to put mechanisms and planning processes in place to undo this trajectory. Through its limited resource, the City sets out to initiate Local Area planning and Precinct planning in specifically identified areas where the need is identified and resources
are made available to assist; in this instance driven by the local authority.”
On Page 318 the following clarification is given: “Communities/external parties must however first obtain approval from the City, via the Spatial Planning and Environment Directorate and Subcouncil, to proceed with their formulation of such plans. In order to consider granting an external party permission to formulate a Local Area Spatial Development Framework plan (LASDF) or Precinct plan (PP), the external party must demonstrate the intent and alignment with the MSDF and the applicable DSDF. Only proposals that are clearly in line with these ideals and principles outlined in SPLUMA and the SDFs will be considered for approval.”
So, what are the Guiding principles?
These are listed on page 319:
. District Spatial Development Plans are the main route for identifying and prioritising areas;
2. Requests for Community-driven planning initiatives should be presented first to the Manager: District planning and Mechanisms;
3. Engagement outside of existing processes are done on own risk and cost to be borne by the community;
4. City not obliged to endorse/support community’s plans;
5. Processes followed should align with City processes;
6. Must be areas the City has not already started planning processes;
7. Proposals should be clear as to the issues it intend to address; and
8. Support to communities in terms of information from the City does not construed endorsement.
Furthermore, at the meeting of Sub-Council 10 on Monday 20 July 2020, Page 115 of the Sub-Council 10 Agenda, items regarding the IDP were tabled.
We noted that in terms of delegation 24(2) and 24(4) the Sub-Council was requested to make recommendations to the Executive Mayor regarding the IDP and budget.
Furthermore, we were requested to approve the Sub-Council business plans.
Sub-Council 10 having discussed the matter unanimously resolved to make the following recommendations regarding each of the selected slides which appear below –
1.
Sub-Council 10 recommends that the greening and planting of trees be undertaken in a rapid manner using EPWP workers as this will help to create jobs at this moment of heightened joblessness owing to Covid-19.
It will also address the problem of drifting sand and the perennial blocking of drains.
In order that this project succeeds, it will need to be owned by the community. Public participation is essential for trees in particular to be taken care of and protected. Ward councillors will play an advisory and supervisory role.
2. The cleansing of Khayelitsha needs to be tackled in a two-pronged manner. Money should be made available to run weekly adverts on Radio Zibonele FM urging residents to do their bit to prevent rodent infestation and the spread of diseases. Waste disposal sites should be identified.
Secondly, solid waste must play a pivotal role. In a reply to Councillor Cassim in May of this year, the Executive Mayor indicated that City Health was not getting the cooperation of the Solid Waste Department.
Sub-Council 10 requests that both City Health and Solid Waste make a joint presentation to Sub-Council 10 on more effective cleaning of Khayelitsha.
3.
Sub-Council 10 urgently requests the Executive Mayor to finalise negotiations with ACSA for a site at Swartklip for the purpose of “initiation”. This matter is of great cultural importance and has been left to drag on indefinitely. We wish to know how this matter is being taken forward.
4.
At this moment when both the economic and health crises are converging to create a “storm” it is imperative that the City leverages all its assets to reboot the economy and save thousands from becoming destitute.
It is imperative that mixed use development of the Khayelitsha coastal area is fast-tracked and be made part of a catalytic process to attract investors here and abroad.
Once again, it is imperative that we get engagement with the right departments and a blueprint of what is going to happen.
5. The issue of crime is one that is plaguing Khayelitsha. Joblessness is fuelling this crime. What we recommend to the Executive Mayor is to set up a multi-disciplinary team to look at various studies that were undertaken and to develop a scientific plan to address crime from various angles. In this regard we suggest the following as one of many studies addressing the problem.
https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar-21.pdf
We would like to have such a report as quickly as possible because it will entail desktop research in the main.
Page 302
Climate Change
An increase in mean annual temperatures with frequent and intense hot days is a given. “July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. That's the word from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which tallied up global land and sea temperature recordings from 2019's seventh month and compared them to its 140-year data set, stretching back to 1880.”
We are living inside a climate crisis. The unwillingness of the DA administration to make a climate emergency declaration is going to haunt it sooner rather than later.
The City’s quest to become an “urban forest” which is indeed an important quest will not materialise. “With tree coverage of 7%, the city falls short of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation definition of an urban forest (which requires) a contiguous area with over 10% tree canopy cover.”
This was acknowledged by mayoral committee member for community services, Zahid Badroodien.
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/sci-tech/2020-08-21-space-images-propel-cape-towns-urban-forest-dSub-Council 10 formally requested a plan for the greening of Khayelitsha. If this were to happen in Khayelitsha and other townships, not only will Cape Town be declared an urban forest, but all residential areas will become as leafy as many City suburbs.
Hundreds of jobs could be created in an instant. That would be good for the people of Khayelitsha, good for Cape Town and good for the planet.
Page 323
Enabling Widespread Broadband Access
Sub-Council 10 full agrees with the statement that “internet access represents a ream-towards-reality/fundamental avenue for economic activity and personal utility.” The question is: when will Khayelitsha see a rollout of the fibre network?
Page 329
Improving Support for Township Economies.
The Township Economic Development Framework should have already been developed and implemented.
For any progress to happen, a sub-directorate in the Economics Directorate must be established to oversee the transformation of townships.
What should happen in townships is scattered in many City documents where it gathers dust.
Also, there is no ambition in the outlook for township enterprises.
CONCLUSION
Sub-Council 10 requests a formal reply to all of the issues contained in this response to the Executive Mayor so that the people of Khayelitsha can know what is being planned and within what time frame. In the absence of such a document, documents will be compiled and put on the shelf.
The Executive Mayor can request Alderman James Vos to prepare a response so that we can engage further with that.
Action: T Hadingham; S Makhuleni
