The migration of more than 48 000 people into the Western Cape each year is placing a strain on the province’s already critical housing backlog of 400,000 units, Richard Dyantyi, MEC for Local Government and Housing said.
Most of the people streaming into Cape Town, which has the highest net migration rate in the country, come from the Eastern and Northern Cape.
“We are not going to overcome the backlog unless we address the root causes,” said Dyantyi. “We need to do joint planning and research (with other provinces) to understand the trends,” he said.
Dyantyi will meet the MECs for local government and housing from the Eastern and Northern Cape to discuss strategies to deal with migration on Saturday. This would be the first inter-provincial initiative to deal with migration in the country, he said.
But Dyantyi stressed that influx control and measures to curb the inflow of migrants would not be on the agenda.
“Migration is a universal phenomenon and we are not going to overcome it by building walls. So we are not going to talk about introducing influx control. It will be about getting better strategies to manage it.”
Dyantyi said the three MECs had been in talks since last year. Saturday’s meeting would consolidate these discussions. The aim is for the MECs to sign a memorandum of understanding for a combined migration policy.
“Sharing knowledge is the only way that we can stay on top of this challenge.”
Dyantyi said a migration strategy would complement the Breaking New Ground housing policy introduced by the government in 2004.
“The (housing) framework is ambitious. To address this complex challenge, some radical changes needed to be taken. Too many people continue to live in unspeakably appalling conditions, which dictate that we respond to the challenge of Breaking New Ground speedily and creatively so that the lives of people are drastically improved,” said Dyantyi.
He said migration had advantages and disadvantages.
“Many young people come from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape. They contribute to the economy but when they are old, they go back to the Eastern Cape and ask the government there for a grant. So in fact the Western Cape is also benefiting from the migration.”
He said this interdependence would be considered in the migration strategy.
Migration also affected service delivery, said city manager Achmat Ebrahim.
He told the Cape Town Press Club yesterday that Cape Town has had a sustained population growth of up to 80,000 people a year, “many of whom are desperately poor”. The city had doubled in size in the past 20 years to 3.2-million residents.
Ebrahim said the changes in movement patterns in the past decade exacerbated traffic congestion and increased the need for a transport infrastructure network.
“The structure and form of the city generates enormous amounts of movement at great economic, social and environmental cost to the public purse.”
Ebrahim said this added to the inadequate shelter, overcrowding and indiscriminate development that plagued parts of the city. Cape Times
Most of the people streaming into Cape Town, which has the highest net migration rate in the country, come from the Eastern and Northern Cape.
“We are not going to overcome the backlog unless we address the root causes,” said Dyantyi. “We need to do joint planning and research (with other provinces) to understand the trends,” he said.
Dyantyi will meet the MECs for local government and housing from the Eastern and Northern Cape to discuss strategies to deal with migration on Saturday. This would be the first inter-provincial initiative to deal with migration in the country, he said.
But Dyantyi stressed that influx control and measures to curb the inflow of migrants would not be on the agenda.
“Migration is a universal phenomenon and we are not going to overcome it by building walls. So we are not going to talk about introducing influx control. It will be about getting better strategies to manage it.”
Dyantyi said the three MECs had been in talks since last year. Saturday’s meeting would consolidate these discussions. The aim is for the MECs to sign a memorandum of understanding for a combined migration policy.
“Sharing knowledge is the only way that we can stay on top of this challenge.”
Dyantyi said a migration strategy would complement the Breaking New Ground housing policy introduced by the government in 2004.
“The (housing) framework is ambitious. To address this complex challenge, some radical changes needed to be taken. Too many people continue to live in unspeakably appalling conditions, which dictate that we respond to the challenge of Breaking New Ground speedily and creatively so that the lives of people are drastically improved,” said Dyantyi.
He said migration had advantages and disadvantages.
“Many young people come from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape. They contribute to the economy but when they are old, they go back to the Eastern Cape and ask the government there for a grant. So in fact the Western Cape is also benefiting from the migration.”
He said this interdependence would be considered in the migration strategy.
Migration also affected service delivery, said city manager Achmat Ebrahim.
He told the Cape Town Press Club yesterday that Cape Town has had a sustained population growth of up to 80,000 people a year, “many of whom are desperately poor”. The city had doubled in size in the past 20 years to 3.2-million residents.
Ebrahim said the changes in movement patterns in the past decade exacerbated traffic congestion and increased the need for a transport infrastructure network.
“The structure and form of the city generates enormous amounts of movement at great economic, social and environmental cost to the public purse.”
Ebrahim said this added to the inadequate shelter, overcrowding and indiscriminate development that plagued parts of the city. Cape Times
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