City offers assistance to Prasa to enhance safety of residents after Philippi land invasion

Statement by the City Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi

The City of Cape Town’s Human Settlements Directorate has liaised with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) following the illegal invasion and erection of structures along the Philippi railway line. The engagement stems from the City’s concerns about the safety of the community and residents who have illegally occupied this Prasa-owned land.

The City has therefore offered to assist with the dismantling and removal of the unoccupied structures due to the immediate health and safety concerns that exist. It is therefore imperative that immediate steps are taken to protect this Prasa-land from illegal occupation.

Earlier today I conducted a site inspection of the land in question.

Although we absolutely understand the acute need for housing opportunities amid great demand and space constraints that we are faced with due to Cape Town’s terrain and geographical position as a peninsula, we must also consider the health and safety aspects that could affect our residents. Housing delivery must also continue to happen in a fair and structured way to ensure that there is no queue jumping.

Nobody is allowed to occupy or invade land without the consent of the owner.

Every city in South Africa acts to protect land from invasion. It is a constitutional duty, but the obligation to protect land from invasion is also the result of practical considerations. When land is invaded, we are all affected. Illegal land invasions are affecting our service delivery plans, our social stability and the financial planning of the city.

New informal settlement areas that have resulted from recent land invasions have not been planned or budgeted for.

We remain committed to improving the lives of our residents in informal settlements. According to the 2017/18 Annual Report, 97,3% of our households have access to electricity, 98,4% have access to refuse removal and 94,3% have access to sanitation. Land invasions place our programmes at risk.

The City is currently reassessing some of its processes to see how our anti-land invasion operations can be optimised, and to enhance partnerships.

We look forward to working with Prasa and other government institutions to ensure that the law is upheld and that we are able to provide assistance to our people in the most fair and structured way possible.

Please call the City’s emergency number by dialling 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cell phone; alternatively, call 112 toll-free from a cell phone to alert the City about land invasions. We also call on property owners, especially those with large tracts of land, to take reasonable measures to safeguard their land from invasion.

Source: City Of Cape Town

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