Cape Town - Ward 43 councillor Elton-Enrique Jansen has dismissed the recent signing of the social compact between Prasa, the government and communities living near the Central Line as a joke and ludicrous.
On Thursday, three spheres of government and the affected communities of Langa, Philippi, and Khayelitsha living in pockets of Prasa land along the Central Line, entered into a social compact which provides a framework to govern the relationship between the parties. It also outlines the rights and responsibilities of all parties.
Jansen said they were only informed last Tuesday by the Housing Development Agency (HDA) of where the proposed site was. He said this demonstrated that the HDA had not given current circumstances in the Philippi wedge the urgent consideration it deserved.
Jansen said the Siqalo informal settlement next to the proposed site would put more strain on the electrical infrastructure as illegal electricity connections would increase. He said crime would increase and this would pose a risk to the farming operations in the Philippi Horticultural Area, and the Philippi Children’s Centre.
“HDA submitted an emergency housing application on behalf of Prasa which must be decided upon by full council after a recommendation by the relevant sub-council. I want to assure the residents that Sub-council 17 will not support this application and will strongly argue against it,” he said.
Meanwhile, DA constituency head Ricardo MacKenzie called on Prasa and the HDA to reconsider this relocation plan and to first conduct a full public consultation process with the Mitchells Plain community.
MacKenzie said Prasa must further consider alternative land and consult those affected communities as well.
“A lack of public participation in relocation processes could potentially cause unnecessary friction between communities. The Central Line must become functional as a matter of urgency, but not at the expense of the community it is intended to serve.”
Prasa’s acting group CEO, Hishaam Emeran, said the Central Line was the backbone of the rail network and the transport system in the city, transporting over 40% of rail commuters.
“It is critical that we have the collaboration with the various communities impacted by the Central Line to work together with Prasa and the various stakeholders, government departments, to ensure that we restore the Central Line.
“The commuters have been suffering for three years and we need to work with urgency in getting that corridor back,” he said.