Cape Town - Construction on the City of Cape Town’s flagship
hostel transformation project in Langa has been suspended due to ongoing
protest action in the area, the City said in a statement on Tuesday.
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"While we respect the rights of residents to protest,
this aggressive and illegal behaviour is utterly unacceptable," said
mayoral committee member for human settlements, councillor Benedicta van
Minnen.
She said that a group of youths campaigning for a change in
the agreed-upon housing allocation for this hostel project had intimidated
members of the project steering committee.
"It must be noted that engagements about the allocation
of units and the project in general have been in-depth, inclusive and thorough
over months. A clear process was agreed upon.
"The City has met with the protesting group, which
comprises approximately 30 individuals, but they have refused to co-operate,"
said Van Minnen.
The 463 units, which are being built on the Old Depot Site
in Langa, form part of the first phase of a project, which will ultimately see
the construction of more than 1 300 units in the next five years, the statement
said.
“We regard this as one of the largest redress projects in
the Western Cape. We are aiming to eradicate the horrific apartheid-era
hostels. Some of these families have been living in the terrible conditions
prevailing in the Langa hostels for the past 40 years and we will not allow
this group of protesters to delay our project."
It is expected that the next phase of the project will
consider qualifying beneficiaries, including backyard dwellers, from the
broader Langa community.
