Cape Town - A land war is brewing in Dunoon, according to a resident who called on fire victims to occupy available areas.
A fire had gutted 120 shacks just two days before New Year’s Day, leaving hundreds of people destitute.
No fatalities were recorded but two firefighters were injured with one sustaining minor burn wounds to his hand, which were treated at the scene, according to the City.
Dunoon is among Cape Town’s many townships affected by overcrowding and a housing crisis.
A resident who took to social media, called on the fire victims to occupy all available spaces in the area.
“The 120 shacks that burnt down ...were in a small space; 120 families overcrowded in such a small space. In 2019 people of Dunoon were told that new houses would be available to overcome the overcrowding.
“This housing development was meant to fight Covid-19 but it never happened. These people whose houses burnt down will fight for spaces as they rebuild. I say while we wait for the housing development that will never come, let us occupy all available spaces...” he wrote.
EFF Cape metro spokesperson, Andiswa Madikazi, said the City has constantly been lying to the people of Dunoon, promising them housing since 2019.
“The problem lies with the distribution of land in the city. The DA-led city is obsessed about maintaining the apartheid spatial planning.
“The only solution to this is inner city incorporation, where the city should build houses in city areas. The housing development has failed the poor, selling them pipe dreams of social housing that the poorest of the poor can’t afford,” Madikazi said.
But the City said there were various housing projects being developed on well-located land close to public transport, jobs, government services and public amenities.
“Beneficiaries of all city housing projects are allocated in accordance with the City’s Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register to ensure that housing opportunities are provided to qualifying applicants in a fair, transparent and equal manner, and to prevent queue jumping.
“Applicants will be selected for housing opportunities based on the date that they registered... The cut-off date reached in the source areas selected for a project depends on the project size and applicants are considered in date order,” the City said.
Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers said plans for the Killarney Gardens, a mixed-use development aimed at alleviating the congested critical spaces of the greater Dunoon area were underway.
“(A total of) 1 500 households will be relocated to the development, some of whom unsafely occupy the Atlantis Railway Reserve.
“This is part of a multiphased-integrated implementation approach, aimed at ensuring that residents are accommodated in a safe, properly-serviced human settlement.
“The plans for the area and the earmarked beneficiaries have been clearly communicated to the relevant ward councillor and the Project Steering Committee(PSC) members.
“The PSC are also kept up to date on the progress of the current works on the site,” he said.
Spokesperson for the ANC caucus in the City, Judy-Ann Stevens said Dunoon was in urgent need for more houses.
“We know of one housing development in Dunoon from the City and those houses are earmarked for just over 300 beneficiaries of Covid, which is mostly elderly and disabled people who are on the database of the City.
This development unfortunately can only accommodate those beneficiaries and no one else. Dunoon is in urgent need for more houses ...” she added.
Cape Times