Gateway Project gets flack
2005-02-23 09:34
Cape Town - Numerous objections to relocating displaced people to Epping could stymie government's flagship N2 Gateway Project, a special adviser to Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Tuesday.
Saths Moodley was speaking as the minister went on a walkabout in the fire-ravaged Joe Slovo informal settlement.
Said Moodley: "One of the glitches relates to Epping, where we have received 1 500 objections from residents and industry."
Moodley questioned the humanity of those who objected, asking what their possible motives were in denying people "living in slums" from being relocated to proper housing.
"It's a disgrace," he said in allusion to the housing crisis being used as a political football in the Western Cape.
He said any objection would be treated as serious and needed to be considered as government applied its mind to it.
Asked whether those aggrieved at not being immediately accommodated had legitimate complaints, Moodley said: "If you don't have a house, you have a legitimate complaint".
Moodley was unable to say whether a contract had been signed with the successful company which tendered to develop the N2 Gateway Project, the Sobambisana Consortium.
This was despite the fact that contractors were developing the sites.
Hazardous materials
Meanwhile, Colin Boyes of the Cape Regional Chamber, which represented business in the Western Cape, said they were planning to meet with Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo to discuss the concerns of industry with the Epping relocation.
Boyes said many companies "dealing in hazardous materials" were specifically sited in Epping because it was relatively removed from residential areas.
He said the provincial housing department would also address the chamber on the housing relocation to Epping.
According to the government, the N2 Gateway Project was a "crucial pillar" of the realigned housing strategy, where arresting the growth of informal settlements and upgrading was central to the realisation of the aims, goals and objectives of a Comprehensive Housing Plan.
It was hoped the pilot project, which would see an integrated approach with all three spheres of government involved, would be used as a model for the rest of the country.
However, the rollout of the pilot project in Cape Town has not been without incident, with communities in Khayelitsha, Langa and elsewhere unhappy that those in Joe Slovo were apparently jumping the housing list queue.
The housing project also threatened to divide communities along racial lines.
- SAPA