The chaos that has ensued at the N2 Gateway Project in Langa is once again indicative of the housing crisis in Cape Town and the Western Cape at large. We have always felt that any legitimate process should be transparent and that a transparent mechanism for housing allocation is essential to eliminate any conflict. The Western Cape government still delivers housing along Apartheid spatial design; housing development for Africans still takes place in what has been classified as an African area under Apartheid. These communities have become overcrowded and the infrastructure cannot sustain the population growth. These communities also lack quality facilities such as hospitals and schools. Neither the African National Congress nor the Democratic Alliance have shown a willingness to implement legislation that would allow the state to expropriate much needed undeveloped land to build decent suburbs where all South Africans can be accommodated.
The housing crisis and high levels of unemployment presents us with an opportunity to solve both crises by establishing a Provincial Construction Company. The Provincial government boasted that it is developing skills to cater for the Petroleum and Gas industry. We believe that this skills base can be further increased when we train the unemployed in housing construction. Currently, the competency for housing delivery is outsourced to private construction companies. These companies deliver housing units at grossly inflated costs. If the Democratic Alliance which dominates Western Cape Government is sincere about delivering on a mandate they received from voters here in the Western Cape they would develop and manage this competency. This would enable them to deliver more homes, even with the current budget and we would provide more jobs.
The Economic Freedom Fighters in the Western Cape calls on the Western Cape Government to:
- Publish all available land currently under its jurisdiction
- Undertake to build integrated communities with due consideration for access to quality facilities such as hospitals, schools and recreational facilities
- Develop the capacity to deliver housing via a Provincial Construction Company
We believe that properly designed, integrated communities, and with adequate facilities would go a long way in the prevention of gangsterism and crime in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
