STATEMENT BY THE CITY'S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, COUNCILLOR MALUSI BOOI

I am today unveiling a new City six-point plan to help protect City housing projects from an increase in incidents of extortion, criminality and violence; unlawful occupation or forceful community disruption of housing units. Projects amounting to approximately R1 billion are currently at risk.

City housing projects have increasingly come under attack from criminals, extortionists and even members of the community. Some R2,8 billion in total has been allocated for human settlements over three years and the City will continue to do all in its power to safeguard the projects and protect our rightful beneficiaries.

But the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) must step up efforts to help stop this phenomenon. Currently, 12 City projects remain under threat, impacting some 4 500 housing beneficiaries. Greater action is needed from the authorities but also our communities as we cannot complete projects without the community standing with us.

Our six-point plan includes:

Working closer with the SAPS and calling on the NPA to step up efforts to help bring these criminals to book.

R15 million in additional funding to enhance security at the projects and increased monitoring.

More cases being investigated by SAPS across the metro.

Offering a R5 000 reward for information leading to arrests. Members of the community may give anonymous tips and it is absolutely vital that our communities stand with the City and law enforcement authorities.

Greater City law enforcement resources to help protect projects and teams working on the ground.

Call to action to communities to support the City.

Just in one week, at our huge R500 million Delft Symphony Way project, with earmarked beneficiaries of 3 300, contractors were shot and then days later, the site was petrol bombed. This is but one project, however, we do not want to place our staff and contractors at added risk by going into too many details. Last year we also cancelled two civil contracts worth R140 million at the City's Beacon Valley project.

We can see many such incidents in communities across the metro where we are rolling out these critical human settlements projects but many are marred by increasing forceful community interference or intimidation, extortion and gangsterism, threat of unlawful occupation and general theft, vandalism and criminality. Against all these mammoth odds, the City's Human Settlements Directorate still managed to spend some 97% of its grant funding in the previous financial year. This shows our utter commitment to our communities and beneficiaries. All authorities, our communities and stakeholders must work together to ensure we can safely continue these projects that are to the benefit of the communities. We cannot allow criminals to stop the projects.

Anonymous tip-offs welcomed

Reward of R5 000 leading to arrests.

Call: 0800 1100 77

Source: City Of Cape Town