THE City of Cape Town will not use a newly cleared piece of land in Langa to build low-cost housing for shack dwellers from the nearby Joe Slovo informal settlement.
The mothballed Athlone electricity towers were recently imploded on the land, which borders on Langa, fuelling hopes among residents that the city might expand their crowded township.
But Brian Watkyns, the city's chairperson of the planning and environment portfolio committee, said a pre-feasibility study had shown that young professionals in Langa wanted middle-income housing on the land "to uplift the community".
Watkyns said the community also "strongly indicated the need for educational and skills training facilities".
He said the city did not have the money to build homes for Langa's shack dwellers on the land.
Instead, about 22,2percent of the land would be reserved for 1117 middle income housing units, 30percent for business, 12,3percent to set up shops and 21,5percent to house public institutions.
About 14percent of the land would be set aside for light industry and the Athlone Refuse Transfer Station.
The city also had to accommodate concerns from the nearby affluent Pinelands suburb.
"Pinelands residents were concerned about the security, noise and traffic impact a new development will have on their neighbourhood," Watkyns said.
Joe Slovo task team coordinator Mzwanele Zulu slammed the city's decision, saying they were "applying the same principles of apartheid".
"This is news to us. It is unfair as there is a scarcity of land already in Langa.
"Poor people should have been prioritised, but instead it seems they want to continue their plans to push us to the outskirts of the city," Zulu said.
No to houses
THE City of Cape Town will not use a newly cleared piece of land in Langa to build low-cost housing for shack dwellers from the nearby Joe Slovo informal settlement.
The mothballed Athlone electricity towers were recently imploded on the land, which borders on Langa, fuelling hopes among residents that the city might expand their crowded township.
But Brian Watkyns, the city's chairperson of the planning and environment portfolio committee, said a pre-feasibility study had shown that young professionals in Langa wanted middle-income housing on the land "to uplift the community".
Watkyns said the community also "strongly indicated the need for educational and skills training facilities".
He said the city did not have the money to build homes for Langa's shack dwellers on the land.
Instead, about 22,2percent of the land would be reserved for 1117 middle income housing units, 30percent for business, 12,3percent to set up shops and 21,5percent to house public institutions.
About 14percent of the land would be set aside for light industry and the Athlone Refuse Transfer Station.
The city also had to accommodate concerns from the nearby affluent Pinelands suburb.
"Pinelands residents were concerned about the security, noise and traffic impact a new development will have on their neighbourhood," Watkyns said.
Joe Slovo task team coordinator Mzwanele Zulu slammed the city's decision, saying they were "applying the same principles of apartheid".
"This is news to us. It is unfair as there is a scarcity of land already in Langa.
"Poor people should have been prioritised, but instead it seems they want to continue their plans to push us to the outskirts of the city," Zulu said.
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