Tensions are simmering in Gugulethu after the City of Cape Town announced plans to relocate a group of Singabalapha shack dwellers, along Main Road in Observatory, to a site previously occupied by the local community.

The move follows a Western Cape High Court order early this month for the City to relocate the Singabalapha residents from their current location. This is a group of residents that illegally occupied a piece of land along Main Road in Observatory for several years.
The court ordered the City to find alternative accommodation for the group before Monday 30 November.

In response, the City identified Masonwabe site at NY109 (Erf 9967) in Gugulethu. The site was previously occupied by a group of residents who were moved to behind the Gugulethu Police Station in order for the municipality to service the land in 2012.

Fourteen years later, the site stands vacant while the previous owners live in appalling conditions behind the station. Gugulethu residents are adamant that no “outsider” will come and stay in their area without their approval.

The City is creating black-on-black violence’

Community leader Nombeko Lephuthing said they do not have a problem with the court’s verdict but stressed that the City will not relocate the Singabalapha residents to Gugulethu.

According to Lephuthing, the identified space belongs to some local residents and beneficiaries are expected to relocate there as soon as the government builds houses for them.

“The City is creating black-on-black violence. That open land the City is planning to give to Singabalapha residents belongs to the residents of Masonwabe TRAs (Temporary Relocation Areas) who are currently residing behind Gugulethu Police Station. They were relocated from Masonwabe Park in 2012 by the City.

A 14-year wait for houses

The City said we were going to stay there for only five years before it build us houses. To date, we are still staying in the TRAs. It has been 14 years of waiting,” stressed Lephuthing.

She said all they need is for the City to build houses for the Masonwabe TRA residents sooner rather than later. She accused the City of sabotaging them by not directly consulting them.

Giving the background on how the Masonwabe residents ended up staying in the TRAs, Lephuthing said they had been staying in the Masonwabe Park flats before the City ordered them to vacate because the buildings were in a bad state. She said they were relocated to the open space behind the Gugulethu Police Station, where they currently live. She said there are more than 200 people living in Masonwabe TRAs.

City responds

City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the City had identified a TRA site in Gugulethu and offered it as an option to be considered by the parties.

He said the City is compelled to offer what it can and that this would be subject to acceptance or refusal by the evictees.

Tyhalibongo stated that the City is governed by national housing and emergency legislation pertaining to subsidy housing as well as emergency housing.

He said the project, over and above offering temporary accommodation to the occupiers, would also provide housing opportunities for the Masonwabe TRA and the broader Gugulethu community through alternative building technology structures.

Land is scarce and resources are finite’

“The Western Cape High Court granted an eviction order against the group that had unlawfully occupied City property after a private eviction by the organisation that had operated on that site. Available City-owned land for the accommodation of the occupiers is scarce.

“The City continues to experience significantly increased incidents of unlawful land occupations of both City and privately owned land. This impacts the long-term sustainability of the availability of land, makes housing and service provision unpredictable and stretched, while also threatening the implementation of existing projects. This also includes a high number of private evictions where the City is often cited to investigate alternative temporary accommodation. Resources are finite — this includes land, human and financial resources,” said Tyhalibongo.

He said at least 168 opportunities exist in total at the site. The first people to benefit from the opportunity will be members of the Gugulethu community, followed by the evictees, in accordance with the prescribed housing-allocation processes.

City ‘hopeful’ of resolution through engagement

“Regular meetings are held to discuss this matter. The City has noted the concerns and is attempting to address and manage them. The City is hopeful that these issues will be resolved in due course through meaningful and ongoing engagements with the receiving community. At a recent meeting, concerns from the receiving Masonwabe community were addressed and they agreed to reconsider the development proposal,” he concluded.