DISTRICT 6 – PHASE 3 DEVELOPMENT 9 December 2017 Update I have asked myself many times why has the ANC led government failed to develop District 6 in the 23 years it has been in power? The ANC led government has severely criticised the previous National Party regime for implementing the Group Areas Act, and rightfully so. However, should we not hold the present ANC government liable for being complicit in EXTENDING THE SAD LEGACY OF APARTHEID by dragging their feet with the re-development of District Six? Pascal Mosia Gugulethu, wrote the following insightful article in The City Vision on 2nd of February 2017: “ The District Six Reference Group is calling on valid District Six claimants living in Langa, Nyanga East, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha to pay special attention to issues facing their claims. This communique, which is long overdue, but however, and as previously stated, the D6RG have always refrained from communicating with claimants when in fact there was little to report on. (This is a lame excuse. It is the duty of the D6RG to communicate much more frequently with D6 claimants. It can be done easily and cheaply by means of a Facebook page or WhatsApp group, which is being done by all other groups) So for the first time in three years we are pleased to tell claimants a positive story. When are claimants coming back ? The D6RG will not go back into history of the presidential commitment to return all claimants by the end of 2014, and the many delays that have ensued. We will talk about what is currently happening. (No. We must go back in recent history and we have to talk about the President Zuma’s false promises that were made before the 2014 national elections. These promises were made with a political motive in mind - to swing the Western Cape vote towards the ANC.) The development of Phase-3a(Site-Q) and 3b(Site-P) 300 houses. 2. Current construction of Phase-3a(Site-Q) is in progress and will yield the first 108 houses. 3. The construction of Site-Q is on track with minimal delays and completion is expected between June & July 2017. (Another missed deadline. The ANC led government should have no credibility amongst D6 claimants. The D6RG owes us an explanation why the dealine for the completion was missed once again. Silence is not a good answer.) 4. As part of the RG’s Socio-economic upliftment programme, the involvement of “our community” in the construction of Site-Q is underway, and Rashaad Jattiem was appointed Community Liaison Officer (CLO) from the claimant community and to be the go-between the contractors and the community, and to oversee the participation process. (If that is the case, why has the CLO made no statement to the D6 claimants about the delays ??) 5. The allocation of claimants for the Site-Q houses has not been concluded. The allocation process of the District 6 Beneficiary Trust(D6BT), Phases 1 & 2, was deemed flawed and ”riddled with corruption” and had “racially left out black claimants,” and the D6 Human Society(D6HS), which looks after the interest of black claimants, have called for a new process that will be fair and just. 6. The primary criteria for the allocation is based on lodgement date. But however, “we have special need cases filed with the DRDLR for which an Act of Parliament makes provision for consideration at the discretion of the Land Claims Commissioner. DRDLR minister Gugile Nkwinti requested that the D6RG give consideration to the over 80 years, who have a yearning to return to D6. (I hope this recommendation will be implemented that the D6 registered and approved claimants over 80 years, will definitely be considered this time around. Mrs Gwendoline Green, claimant G75 will be 93 years old this coming Monday, on 11th December 2017.) SEE PHOTO ABOVE Figure 1 - 93 Year Old Gwendoline Green G75 claimant, with granddaughter Suraya Green in background. Back in 2013, the D6RG proposed a different approach to build simultaneously across all sites by using a holistic development framework. (This is no longer feasible by the looks of it) A Holistic Development Planning Workshop was held on Saturday, November 22 2014 at the DRDLR headquarters in Mowbray, with all the stakeholders present. Participants included the DRDLR Special Projects Task Team, Land Claims Commission, City of Cape Town (CoCT), Provincial Government, Human Settlement, the D6HS, Heritage Council, D6 Museum, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), soon to be renamed D6 University, and the D6RG where I was appointed media & communications officer. In 2016 we met twice with Minister Nkwinti at the Town House hotel where a proposal for a simultaneous construction across all sites within a holistic development framework was presented and accepted by the minister in principle. (Minister Nkwinti might have accepted the proposal, but it was certainly not implemented.) It must be said that the D6RG have since its inception in April 2012 made provision in the Position Paper which was handed to the minister in 2013 that includes late claimants. This meaning that through the Holistic Development of District 6, all the claimants, including new claims, will automatically be accommodated. With the issue of additional vacant land within D6 already being addressed within the D6 Inter-government Technical Steering Committee, the Land Restitution programme is free. (I could scarcely imagine that D6 claimants should pay for their new homes. This would be adding insult to injury). Source https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/City-Vision/an-update-on-district-6-claims-20170201-2