DOCSLIB.ORG

N2 Gateway Presentation Portfolio Committee on Housing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
N2 Gateway Presentation Portfolio Committee on Housing N2 Gateway Presentation Prepared for: Portfolio Committee on Housing Background • On 1 September 2004 • The Cabinet – • approved the general trust of the Comprehensive Housing Plan for the Development of Integrated Sustainable Human Settlements for the next five years and that Plan should be seen as work in progress to be continuously refined and improved upon; • noted that additional resources are required to implement the Plan subject to further discussions with the National Treasury; Minster TA Manuel • approved the immediate establishment on an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to be convened by the Minister of Housing to oversee the Plan; • requested all relevant Government institutions to assess the implications of the Plan, its effect on their relevant line functions and assist in the implementation of the Plan; and • approved that a comprehensive communication campaign be embarked upon to communicate the plan to the public Background • A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS • the Housing Plan aims to embrace the new vision of the Government for the next five years. The new Plan would allow the Department to recast its responsibility and would allow for a redefinition of the role of the Ministry and Department from that of being responsible for policy formulation and oversight only in respect of low -cost housing to one that oversees the proper functioning of the entire residential property market and facilitation implementation where necessary. Through the new approach the Department would seek to remove duality in the housing market with a booming first economy housing market and stagnant second economy market; • a key focus of the Plan would be to promote the achievement of a non- racial integrated society. Thus, sustainable settlements are defined as well- managed living areas in which economic growth and social development are in balance with the carrying capacity of the natural systems on which they depend foe their existence, where non racial, mixed land use integration promotes sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and equity; and Background • the new approach is based on the provision of basic shelter within the context of well serviced, integrated settlements that are well located, enjoy secure environments and facilitate good governance and better policing. In accordance with the Plan there would be greater participation in housing delivery by the private sector, especially the banking and construction sectors, greater economic activities including the greater extension of social infrastructure and amenities that would promote the creation of healthy communities “During the course of this year, in addition to accelerating the expansion of our housing stock to address the needs of the homeless, we will take concrete steps to ensure that housing development contributes to eliminating the duality of living spaces inherited from apartheid.” State of the Nation Address of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki: Joint Sitting of Parliament 3 February 2006 “There is the complementary challenge of transforming the desolate landscape of townships and new housing settlements into sustainable and viable communities, whose riches speak for themselves, whose streets carry songs of laughter, whose character reflects our season of hope. In this Budget, we recognise the need to give greater impetus to investments in housing, in community infrastructure, in municipal services and in local economic development – not just as projects of government departments or municipalities, but as constructive partnerships that mobilise local enterprise, private capital, indigenous creativity.” Budget Speech 2005 Minister of Finance Mr. T A Manuel Piloting BNG through the N2, to realise the Second Decade of Freedom Tasks • Interventions required that will help bridge the 1st and 2nd Economies (single residential market) • Creation of a strong Developmental State • Addressing the scale and complexity of the housing challenge and accelerating the pace of delivery (tackling poverty) • Reverse the inherited spatial dysfunctionality. Responding to the Challenge of the Second Decade of Freedom’s Tasks • Housing as a spatial intervention to effect social change • Testing the institutional preparedness to deliver at scale • Mobilise institutional capacity of the State, the Social Development Partners and the Private Sector • Mobilise, coordinating and directing Public Sector funding / resources • Trigger wider change in the spatial economy of the Cities Rationale for N2 Gateway as the pilot for upgrading of informal settlements • Cape Town, historically the oldest City in South Africa; the seat of Parliament; with a history of overcoming the challenges of a divided City and in late apartheid, a City that actively discriminated against Africans. • Rapid growth of informal settlements located in areas prone to fire or flood disasters. • The City has one of the highest levels of TB in the world related to poor housing and environmental conditions. • Three spheres of government collaborating to pioneer a new approach to integrated and sustainable human settlements development through “learning by doing” • Developing new modes of urban development practice based on higher densities and the empowerment of the poor and marginalised through the provision of quality houses. • To test existing policy and through lessons learnt to enhance / amend such policies and give direction to new policies. The N2 Gateway Project, piloting the upgrading of Informal Settlements into the Urban Fabric A proposal for the development of communities, land and facilities bordering the N2 between Cape Town International Airport and the city centre City of Cape Town in partnership with the Provincial Government :Western Cape & National Department of Housing August 2004 The Spatial Context CT Int Airport Scope of the Project Borcherds Quarry Interchange Barcelona Airport Approach Road New Rest NY1 Kanana Apartheid Relic- “Buffer Strip” B u n g a A v en u e I in nstitu t tio e n r al & c NG h O’ a s n g e Langa & Joe Slovo Informal Athlone Complex Power Station Initiation Site Solid Waste Tranfer Station The N2 Project Objectives This integrated human settlement project will:- • Upgrade residents living conditions • Give access to – Choice ito tenure and housing typologies – Transport – Community facilities & social amenities – Employment opportunities • Reflect a new approach to the built, natural and cultural environments • Leverage private sector, donor and parastatal investment • Empower communities Partnership in Cooperative Governnance National Department of Housing Facilitating enabling legislation and linkages to Public Works, Land Affairs, DPLG, Treasury, Social Development, Poverty Alleviation, & others Provincial Dept of Housing Facilitating linkages to Housing, Transport, Safety & Security, Environment and Planning City of Cape Town Project development and implementation integrated across all departments Stakeholders Key Dependencies • Landuse Agreements. • Planning Approvals • Rapid assembly, alignment and release of funds • Reconfigured Human Settlements Redevelopment Programme •MIG • Housing Subsidies • Other Funding Sources including Private • Budget Reprioritisation at all levels Key Dependencies (cont) • Multi-year Funding • Sustained political support from all spheres • Sustained participation of beneficiaries & neighbouring communities • Protect land against unlawful occupation A Vision for Barcelona A Vision for Kanana A Vision for New Rest A Vision for Joe Slovo A Vision for Joe Slovo and Bunga I/C and Athlone The Synergies Epping Industria Joe Slovo New Rest, Kanana, Barcelona Airport Industria URN KYA URN MP Scope of N2 Gateway N2 Gateway Plan • Original land parcels earmarked for the N2 Gateway Project at its inception. • City of Cape Town retracted five (5) of the parcels viz. Epping, Erf 8448 (Gugulethu), Driftsands, Bardale & Ottery Social Development Services • Social Infrastructure – Multi-purpose centres – Sport grounds –Parks – Dignified spaces – Food gardens • Emergency Services –Police –Fire – Ambulance •Education – Schools –Creches • Economic and Human Development Construction • Building of freehold and rental units • Bulk earthworks and services • Community facilities and amenities • Primarily cement blocks and mortar • Three phases – Earthworks up to foundation and slab – Top structures – Landscaping, amenities and roads Joe Slovo Phase 1 Progress to Date • 705 complete and fully occupied • Full time caretakers on site • Full time maintenance staff on site • 24 security surveillance provided Challenges • Rent boycott by some tenants • Lawyers engaging with defaulters • Last resort – Eviction (CoCT has delayed the finalisation of lease agreement making it difficult to act on the eviction processes) Joe Slovo Phase 2 Progress to Date • Contract signed with FNB to produce 200 Affordable Housing units • 12 show houses are under construction Challenges • Resistance to relocation by Joe Slovo informal settlement dwellers is a critical delaying factor to the project • The court case will resume on 12 December 2007 wherein opposing parties will present their arguments for judgement • Delivery pace by FNB is retarded due to the pending court case on relocation of the Joe Slovo informal settlement dwellers Joe Slovo Phase 3 Progress to Date • The project will yield approximately 1,500 BNG units • Contractor is expected to establish on site within two (2) weeks to commence with site clearing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cape Town High Court Judgment 10
    REPORTABLE IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (CAPE OF GOOD HOPE PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CASE NO: 13189/07 In the matter between: THUBELISHA HOMES First Applicant MINISTER OF HOUSING Second Applicant MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT Third Applicant AND HOUSING, WESTERN CAPE and VARIOUS OCCUPANTS Respondents THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN Second Respondent FIRSTRAND BANK LIMITED Third Respondent JUDGMENT delivered on this 10th day of MARCH 2008 Introduction [1] This is an application for the eviction of various occupants, Respondents, from the informal settlement commonly known as Joe Slovo. The Applicants allege that the Respondents are occupying the property in question unlawfully inasmuch as no consent was given to them for such occupation. Within this main application, various other applications were brought. 1 [2] Firstly, as part of the main application, an application was brought for an order in terms of which the Applicants could be allowed to dispense with the forms and service provided by the Uniform Rules of the High Court, and enabling this matter to be treated as one of urgency in terms of Rule 6(12), and in accordance with the provisions of section 5 of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998 [hereinafter referred to as PIE]. [3] Secondly, the essence of the main application, an application for the eviction of the various occupiers (Respondents) from the area known as Joe Slovo informal settlement, and in the event of their failure and/or refusal to vacate the said area, an order to authorize and direct the Sheriff of this Court to enter the premises occupied by the Respondents and to remove all the movable items in the premises to an identified place in the temporary relocation area in Delft and to eject such Respondents in accordance with the schedule which was handed in as annexure “XS31” to the principal founding affidavit.
    [Show full text]
  • Informal Settlement Upgrading in Cape Town’S Hangberg: Local Government, Urban Governance and the ‘Right to the City’
    Informal Settlement Upgrading in Cape Town’s Hangberg: Local Government, Urban Governance and the ‘Right to the City’ by Walter Vincent Patrick Fieuw Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Sustainable Development Planning and Management in the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Dr Firoz Khan December 2011 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Signature Walter Fieuw Name in full 22/11/2011 Date Copyright © 2011 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract Integrating the poor into the fibre of the city is an important theme in housing and urban policies in post‐apartheid South Africa. In other words, the need for making place for the ‘black’ majority in urban spaces previously reserved for ‘whites’ is premised on notions of equity and social change in a democratic political dispensation. However, these potentially transformative thrusts have been eclipsed by more conservative, neoliberal developmental trajectories. Failure to transform apartheid spatialities has worsened income distribution, intensified suburban sprawl, and increased the daily livelihood costs of the poor. After a decade of unintended consequences, new policy directives on informal settlements were initiated through Breaking New Ground (DoH 2004b).
    [Show full text]
  • N2 Gateway, Zanemvula and Khutshong Priority Projects
    ADD NAME/TITLE HERE Presentation on N2 GATEWAY, ZANEMVULA AND KHUTSHONG PRIORITY PROJECTS to SELECT COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICES OCTOBER 2009 Purpose • The purpose of this presentation is to provide: – Information on the determination of and categorization of national priority projects; – a briefing on the following priority projects • N2 Gateway • Zanemvula • Khutson g Background • 2005 - N2 Gateway Project prioritized • 2006 - PHDs name “provincial pilot projects” • 2006 - Zanemvula Project (NMBMM ) and Khutsong Project (Gauteng) identified as prioritised projects Determination of Priority Projects i. pronouncement by the State President, Cabinet or the Minister of Human Settlements or a decision by Minmec or the DG of Human Settlements; ii. may have initially been determined as a provincial pilot project; iii. capability to achieve identified national priorities; iv. fulfill the intent of the Comprehensive Plan - roll out an integrated sustainable human settlement; v. cooperative management in terms of inter-governmental protocols by the different spheres of government as Determination of Priority Projects v. more than likely to be a mega project - deliver around 2 000 housing units or more or a number approved by the relevant MEC of the Province; vii. have a positive and visible impact on the lives of the affected communities; viii. is enrolled with the NHBRC and meets all the minimum national norms and standards; ix. has completed the P1 and P2 phases; and x. encapsulates all the relevant information in a Project Business Plan and submits Categorisation of Priority Projects i. ranking of the project outcomes in the national apex of priorities; ii. level of oversight and management input provided by the NDOH; iii.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy As Problem Solving Civic Capacity in Communities Across the Globe
    Democracy as Problem Solving Civic Capacity in Communities Across the Globe Xavier de Souza Briggs The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or informa- tion storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. For information about special quantity discounts, please email special_sales@ mitpress.mit.edu This book was set in Sabon by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong. Printed on recycled paper and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data De Souza Briggs, Xavier N. Democracy as problem solving : civic capacity in communities across the globe / Xavier de Souza Briggs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-02641-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-262-52485-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Political participation. 2. Democratization. 3. Community development. I. Title. JF799.D42 2008 321.8—dc22 2007037630 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Index ABC Economic Development Agency, Agnos, Art, 235, 239 204–205 AIDS crisis, 288–291 Accountability, 34 Allegheny Conference on Community blended model of, 116–118 Development child advocacy and, 243–244 civic reorganization and, 156–160, civic capacity and, 118 163 consensus-building and, 86 diversifi cation of base, 180–181 elusiveness of, 168 initiatives, 151, 152 of intermediaries, 181–182 merger with PEL, 159–160
    [Show full text]
  • Infrastructures of Property and Debt: Making Affordable Housing, Race and Place in Johannesburg
    Infrastructures of Property and Debt: making affordable housing, race and place in Johannesburg A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Siân Butcher IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Advisors: Helga Leitner and Eric Sheppard Department: Geography, Environment and Society July 2016 ©2016 by Siân Butcher Acknowledgements This dissertation is not only about debt, but has been made possible through many debts, but also gifts of various kinds. I want to start by thanking the following for their material support of my graduate study at the University of Minnesota (UMN), my dissertation research and my writing time. Institutionally, my homes have been the department of Geography, Environment and Society (GES) and the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC). ICGC supported me for two years in partnership with the Center for Humanities Research (CHR) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) through the generous ICGC-Mellon Scholar fellowship. Pre-dissertation fieldwork between 2010-2011 was supported by GES, ICGC, the York-Wits Global Suburbanisms project, and the Social Science Research Council’s Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (SSRC DPDF). Dissertation fieldwork in Johannesburg was made possible by UMN’s Global Spotlight Doctoral Dissertation International Research Grant (2012- 2013) and the immeasurable support of friends and family. My two years of writing was enabled by a semester’s residency at the CHR at UWC in Cape Town; a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Minnesota (2014-5), and a home provided by my partner Trey Smith and then my mother, Sue Butcher.
    [Show full text]
  • Section 5 Voices of the People: Case Studies of Medium-Density Housing
    SECTION 5 VOICES OF THE PEOPLE: CASE STUDIES OF MEDIUM-DENSITY HOUSING SECTION 5: VOICES OF THE PEOPLE - CASE STUDIES OF MEDIUM-DENSITY HOUSING 189 VOICES OF THE PEOPLE: CASE STUDIES OF MEDIUM-DENSITY HOUSING 1. Overview Table 38: Overview of case studies Date of interviews Project Location Tenure with residents Spring Þeld Terrace Cape Town (South Africa) Sectional title (rental February 2005 and ownership) Carr Gardens Johannesburg (South Africa) Social rental April 2005 Newtown Housing Cooperative Johannesburg (South Africa) Cooperative housing February 2005 Stock Road Cape Town (South Africa) Installment sale March 2005 (eventual individual ownership) Missionvale Nelson Mandela Metro Individual ownership November 2004 (South Africa) Samora Machel Cape Town (South Africa) Individual ownership November 2004 Sakhasonke Village Nelson Mandela Metro Individual ownership March 2007 (South Africa) N2 Gateway – Joe Slovo (Phase1) Cape Town (South Africa) Social rental January 2008 Washington Heights Mutual New York (USA) Rental Housing Association Vashi Navi Mumbai (India) Cooperative housing Vitas Housing Project Manila, Tondo (Philippines) Rental and ownership The majority of South Africans were denied ensure a more equitable resource distribution. 1 human rights and essential livelihood resources for hundreds of years, especially under apartheid. In this regard, the case studies discussed look Since 1994 the country’s Þrst democratically at the extent and implications of community elected government has approved numerous laws participation in the development and imple- and policies, established development programmes, mentation processes of higher-density housing and rati Þed international treaties to ensure the projects. They explore prospects of approaching realisation of basic human rights, as de Þned in the the future delivery of higher-density housing in a South African Constitution.
    [Show full text]
  • ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALAIENSIS Skrifter Utgivna Av Statsvetenskapliga Föreningen I Uppsala, 168
    ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALAIENSIS Skrifter utgivna av Statsvetenskapliga föreningen i Uppsala, 168 Neighbourhood Politics in Transition Residents’ Associations and Local Government in Post-Apartheid Cape Town Sara Monaco Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Brusewitzsalen, Department of Government, Gamla Torget 6, Uppsala, Friday, March 7, 2008 at 13:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Abstract Monaco, S. 2008. Neighbourhood Politics in Transition. Residents’ Associations and Local Government in Post-Apartheid Cape Town. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Skrifter utgivna av Statsvetenskapliga föreningen i Uppsala 168. 223 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-554-7084-5. This study focuses on the changing practices of South African residents’ associations and their relationship with political parties and local government from 1990 to 2006, with the aim to examine how associations in Cape Town respond when they are confronted with a new democratic institutional and political context. Two empirical questions guide the analysis: How do residents’ associations perceive that the changing political context has affected them in their attempts to influence agenda-setting and decision-making? And how can we understand the process in which they decide to act, or not act, in response to important changes in their political environment? Drawing on social movement theory, most importantly the notions of political opportunity structures and framing processes, an analysis is made of the most significant changes in Cape Town’s post-apartheid institutional and political context. The empirical findings – based on questionnaires, interviews and an in-depth study of the township of Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay – show that associations in socio-economically distinct areas have different perceptions of their prospects of affecting agenda-setting and decision-making.
    [Show full text]
  • Community Resistance to Megaprojects: the Case of the N2 Gateway Project in Joe Slovo Informal Settlement, Cape Town
    Habitat International 45 (2015) 169e176 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Habitat International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/habitatint Community resistance to megaprojects: The case of the N2 Gateway project in Joe Slovo informal settlement, Cape Town David Jordhus-Lier Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway article info abstract Article history: Interactions between megaproject interventions and local communities represents critical subjects of Available online 21 March 2014 investigation as national and metropolitan governments are using large-scale investments in urban landscapes as pillars of their growth strategies. This article analyses community resistance to the large- Keywords: scale housing project N2 Gateway in the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa township, Cape Town. Community resistance Since 2004, the inhabitants of Joe Slovo have experienced evictions and relocation, but also the mate- Megaprojects rialisation of new housing opportunities for many community members. Their response to the project Mobilisation has evolved from an initial show of resistance, via a legal process, to a more engagement-oriented Urban housing Informal settlement upgrading strategy during the allocation phase. I argue that the mobilisation of informal settlement dwellers fac- ing megaproject implementation has created disempowerment, social division and a reconfiguration of power relations. It is also proposed that community resistance to megaprojects is best understood when traced over time as a dynamic response to a constantly unfolding project-related intervention. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction generated complex political dynamics between shack dwellers, civil society networks, private contractors and three tiers of The interactions between megaprojects and settlement dy- government.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Protests and Water Service Delivery in South Africa
    Social Protests and Water Service Delivery in South Africa _.., ___IYBNIIIMA W'IIAOirlf9oo- []-- WATER llESEAACM CC.Mf$$1011f Social Protests and Water Service Delivery in South Africa Report to the WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION by BARBARA TAPELA Assisted by Bukiwe Ntwana and Darlington Sibanda Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) University of the Western Cape WRC Report No. TT 631/15 ISBN 978-1-4312-0672-8 May 2015 Obtainable from: Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 Gezina, 0031 [email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za The publication of this report emanates from a project entitled Social Protests and Water Service Delivery in South Africa (WRC Report No. K5/2133) DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © Water Research Commission ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since 2004, South Africa has been hit by high volumes of social protests. Protestors claim that they protest over lack of ‘service delivery’ and water is one of the elements of service delivery. In 2012 the frequency, geographical spread and violence of service delivery-related social protests in post-apartheid South Africa reached unprecedented levels. Water service delivery issues rose in prominence among various reasons cited for protests. While this ascendance is remarkable, grievances over water services are not new. Water service delivery issues have been (and still are) a part of a range of conflated grievances that masquerade under the general rubric of ‘service delivery’ issues and underpin many rallying calls for social protest action.
    [Show full text]
  • Building Houses Into Homes: Essential Networks and Informal Living in Cape Town, South Africa
    Building Houses into Homes: Essential Networks and Informal Living in Cape Town, South Africa SVF-3901 Caitlin E. Reiach Master’s Thesis in Peace and Conflict Transformation Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education University of Tromsø Spring 2013 Abstract This study explores the potential assets of informal living as a consequence of historical spatial planning and urbanization in Cape Town South Africa. Micro realities of informal living are illustrated against a backdrop of wider socio-political policies that effectively produce informal settlements through arguably flawed housing delivery systems. Qualitative interviews conducted across a small but varied sample depict a strong sense of community and partnership where residents can turn to family or community members to help strengthen their abilities and to build not just houses by homes. Informal townships are described as having unique elements, activities, successes and problems requiring distinct approaches and solutions. Each household has its own unique concerns, needs, and abilities that require a variety of approaches aside from what is provided through the housing subsidy. The common thread made evident throughout the historical literature and primary data collection is the determination and capacity for resiliency among even the most disadvantageous populations. It is this resiliency that may prove to be the critical factor in building sustainable communities with room to grow. i ii Acknowledgments My sincerest thanks go out to everyone who made this thesis possible. To my family, friends, and colleagues, thank you for your unwavering encouragement and for exemplifying the very phenomena discussed in this paper. To my supervisor Ingrid Kielland, I have so much gratitude for your guidance and investment in my growth as a researcher and writer.
    [Show full text]
  • N2 Gateway Community Newsletter MAY 2012 NO 7
    N2 Gateway Community Newsletter MAY 2012 NO 7 The N2 Gateway Project started in 2005 and phase one is nearing completion. It is a project of the National Department of Human Settlements. Phase one will deliver about 15 000 houses. The project provides houses for residents of the informal settlements and backyarders along the N2. Current projects include the following: Joe Slovo • Delft Symphony • Delft 7-9 • Boystown • Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) A fAmily’S hopeS ARe ReAliSeD Wednesday 25th of April was a very important day for Selwin Daniels and his family: it was the day that they finally obtained a secure and quality home of their own. Having faced illness, hunger, poor living conditions and unemployment, the family now has a house in Delft Symphony from which to build their future. Selwin and his partner Jolin Van harte moved into freedom farm over seven years ago and during that time had three children. The family faced many difficulties at this location with their daughter suffering from meningitis and both Mr Daniels signing his contract parents facing long-term unemployment. They started off in a 2 x 3 metre shack and while the parents gradually It was not at all a healthy location, and their daughter was expanded the dwelling they were soon faced with a stark sent to live with her grandmother in elsies River the hope choice: sell the building materials or have no food for the that the house would provide a better environment for her table. Selwin had to go searching for food for his family health problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Limits to Local Democracy: the Politics of Urban Governance Transformations in Cape Town
    Limits to Local Democracy: The Politics of Urban Governance Transformations in Cape Town Marianne Millstein WORKING PAPER NO 2 Copyright © ICLD 2010 This study has been prepared within the ICLD. ICLD acknowledges the financial contribution to its research pro- gramme by the government of Sweden (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency—Sida). ISBN 978-91-86725-01-3 i ABSTRACT Over the last decade, South African cities have experienced several waves of service delivery protests, the most recent of which took place after the April 2009 national elections. The protests have targeted local governments and held them responsible for the lack of service provision; this has brought about a crisis of political legitimacy at the level of local government. The issue of legitimacy should be understood in the context of the urban governance transformations that have taken place since 1994. These have had major implications for the ability of the urban authorities to deliver services and realize their ambition of developing participatory governance. This paper explores the politics of urban governance by examining the initial phase of a major housing project, the N2 Gateway project, in Cape Town and in the township Delft. Theoretically, the paper argues for a political approach to urban governance (Pieterse 2008) and the paper stresses the continued importance of the central state in urban governance in African cities (Oldfield 2000; Swilling 1997). A starting point for the analysis is the complex and contradictory decentralization process that has been taking place since 1994 and that has been informing local government reforms in South Africa. These processes, combined with shifts towards neo-liberal modes of governance and a market-led housing development strategy, never-ending restructuring of local government institutions and political instability, have constrained service delivery in Cape Town and limited the spaces for citizen participation.
    [Show full text]