Cape Town - The long-promised relocation of families living in congested conditions in the informal settlements of Dunoon and Kosovo, promised in 2020, is now set to happen in 2024.
Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers told the legislature that the plan, which was first mooted at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, had been delayed by more than a year as a result of a number of appeals against rezoning of the land.
The land in question was formerly agricultural land that was subdivided for development as an industrial estate.
The project was also held up by a failed court bid by the Racing Park Development Owners’ Association (RPDOA) which had attempted to get a land transfer between Cape Killarney Property Investments and the Housing Development Agency (HDA) declared invalid and reversed.
Simmers was responding to a question from EFF provincial chairperson Melikhaya Xego who had asked for an update regarding the relocation of residents of Dunoon and Kosovo.
Xego said in April 2020, the then national human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu said residents of the two informal settlements would be relocated by July 2020 to the Racing Park industrial area and wanted to know what had gone wrong.
Simmers said discussions were under way between his department and the City in relation to the relocation plan.
He said in terms of Du Noon the relocation project would be rolled out in four distinct stages.
The first stage, which was clearing the site, had been completed and that the second stage, which involved the installation of services such as storm water, sewer and water reticulation systems, was in progress.
Completion was expected in the first quarter of 2023.
He said the final stage would be the roofing of the houses, which was expected to begin by February 2023, with completion of all phases expected by the end of June 2024.
The project is envisaged to yield 1500 temporary relocation area (TRA) units.
With regards to Kosovo, Simmers said his department owned property in the Weltevreden Wedge, which was in close proximity to the informal settlement, and the plan was to erect TRAs as part of the overall development of the Wedge.
“The department is engaging the City to address these needs as well as to explore alternative servicing options,” said Simmers.
