A piece of illegally occupied, state-owned land adjacent to the Constantia Emporium that has not been tended to by authorities has been identified as a crime hot spot.
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This is according to Emile Langenhoven, councillor for Ward 62, who organised a site visit to the area along with Sello Seithlolo, the new DA shadow minister for this portfolio. ‘There have been people caught in this area with stolen goods from the areas in the surrounding Constantia,’ says Langenhoven, adding that the erf is logged as national government property in the municipality’s database, which means that the City is unable to apply for an eviction order.
‘I have inquired whether the City has spoken to the national government about this property and await the response. At this point, that property is considered the private property of the national government and, therefore, we cannot provide any services to it or apply for eviction.’
As per News24, concerns that the illegal occupation could lead to losing a valuable asset and placing a further drain on the City’s resources are growing.
Langenhoven says that people started erecting illegal shelters on the field in late 2019, around the same time that construction on the nearby shopping centre was coming to a close. ‘People didn’t actually know how far it (the shopping centre) would extend. So once this was done, an opportunity was seen over here and then people started moving in. We could see one shack over there and then another, and then it just mushroomed out. So now we’ve got maybe 10 to 15.’
Seithlolo adds that a situation where informal settlements are ‘allowed to mushroom’ needs to be avoided. ‘And in their mushrooming on Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) land, when people go to court and say, ‘But we don’t have services’, the Human Rights Commission will say the municipality must provide services.’
He cited a previous situation from Grabouw, when the DPWI did not respond after being alerted of a similar occupation. ‘They allowed the situation to continue. And then the DFFE said, ‘Oh, well, there’s nothing we can do here. We’re going to move away. So an opportunity has been lost, and people will be left without any services. Now, that municipality has to take responsibility to provide those services. Where do they get the money? They don’t have the money. They don’t have the plans. What is the department then doing?’
Seithlolo says the DPWI needs to take an active role in ensuring that it is able to provide security to properties or land that are not occupied, ‘so that it does not result in a situation where communities around those areas then cry about crime safety and so forth; so that people don’t then have a leg to stand on when they say, “We have been here for 48 hours or for 72 hours and, therefore, you need to find us property or land where we can go and settle.” That then becomes the case of the City.’
The City of Cape Town had already spent more than R130 million on evictions, while the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements spent more than R160 million, he adds. ‘Those are costs that no city or provincial government should be incurring. We need proactive measures to either allow these DPWI properties or land to be leased out to private developers or just something that can get those properties and lands to be beneficial in one way or the other.’
Seithlolo says he intends to move a motion in Parliament that would obligate the DPWI to work alongside municipalities to deliver services that are required in these situations.
‘That will then minimise the kind of impact that such things have on the city because municipalities and cities have to carry the burden of the irresponsible nature and extent of the department.’
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