- Community leaders in Ward 37 in Nyanga urges the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure to speed up the processes to complete the incomplete houses at Freedom Square.
- The houses are part of the Masiphathisane Peoples Housing Process (PHP) project, and have stood incomplete and vacant for over 10 years.
- According to the Ward councillor Sandile Martin the department initially vowed to complete the houses but nothing happened.
- But, says the department, the project, which was approved in 2008, was halted in 2010 due to community conflict regarding allocations and the appointment of a particular contractor.
Ward 37 leadership urges the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure to speed up the processes to complete the incomplete houses at Freedom Square in Nyanga.
According to the leadership, the houses are part of the Masiphathisane Peoples Housing Process (PHP) project.
Ward councillor Sandile Martin said the houses have stood incomplete and vacant for over 10 years.
He said the department initially vowed to complete the houses but nothing happened.
“This project was started a long time ago before I became a councillor. At that time, I was on a street committee. We pushed for the department to intervene to complete the seven incomplete houses, but nothing happened,” said Martin.
He stated that some of the intended beneficiaries died and left their children stranded.
Martin said the beneficiaries stay in Freedom Square Hostel.
“The project was named after the hostel because we were moving people from the hostel to the houses.
“You will find that in one hostel there are three or four families. So, we were moving out other families to the houses and modifying the hostel for one family,” said Martin.
He said their concern is that criminals use the houses for a range of criminal activities.
Nyanga Community Policing Forum secretary Dumisani Qwebe reiterated Martin’s sentiments that the houses are used by criminals.
“Two years ago, the criminals slaughtered a cow in one of those houses. We found the carcass of a cow in one of the houses. People are getting robbed every day when they go to work in the morning and come back in the evening. And it has been a while since these houses are like that,” said Qwebe.
Provincial Department of Infrastructure deputy director for communication Muneera Allie said the Freedom Square forms part of the Masiphathisane Peoples Housing Process (PHP) project, a housing project driven by the community with assistance from the government.
She said the project was approved in 2008 and halted in 2010.
“The project stopped due to community conflict regarding allocations and the appointment of a particular contractor preferred by the community. Following numerous discussions and negotiations over time, the community managed to resolve the conflict regarding allocations,” she said.
Allie said the City and the Department of Infrastructure are reviewing proposals to complete unfinished units and build new units (which formed part of the initial project plan).
The project will therefore proceed as soon as all parties agree on the way forward, concluded Allie.