By 2010, there will still be shacks along the N2, says Mayor Helen Zille.
Speaking at the first “business meets the city” symposium on Tuesday, Zille said: “It will take 30 years to deal with the upgrading of informal settlements if we get everything right and spend the money effectively.”
The city has a housing backlog of 400 000 units. More than 135 000 people live in about 250 informal settlements that lack basic services and infrastructure.
‘If we just clean up for 2010, we will be creating more problems than we can solve’
Only 89 of these areas could be upgraded to formal housing developments.
But Zille said, in response to a question about the impression which shacks along the N2 created for tourists, that the relocation of these residents needed to be done in a “prioritised way”.
“If we just clean up for 2010, we will be creating more problems than we can solve.”
She said an unplanned removal of people living in shacks along the N2 and other areas would encourage land invasions and settlements on road and rail reserves.
Zille said the city was working on systems for long-term solutions, such as a database of informal settlements that need services and bulk infrastructure.
Hans Smit, executive director of integrated human settlement services for the city, said some of the informal settlements were located in flood plains or near electricity pylons.
He said settlements that could be upgraded would be added to the city’s integrated housing development programme. But, he added, the upgrading and integration of these settlements would “take some years”.
The city would need at least 500 hectares of land to de-densify informal settlements. The city’s “progressive” informal settlement policy would go to the mayoral committee for comment within the next few weeks.
Zille said the city’s red tape often delayed projects, especially those related to housing and the release of land for industrial development. More needed to be spent on infrastructure, such as the city’s sewerage and wastewater treatment systems, and the upgrading of road and rail links.
Janine Myburgh, president of the Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the supply of electricity was the city’s biggest challenge. “We can expect a decade of power problems.”
She said the city’s electricity supply was also being sabotaged by copper cable theft.
Ian Neilson, mayco member for finance, said the under-spending of the city’s budget was affecting its ability to deliver critical services.
The fact that there was more than R3-billion left in the bank from unused grants and revenue was “embarrassing”.
He said many projects were stalled or scrapped during a period of “budget instability” when money was taken off or shifted elsewhere.
Often, projects were halted because funding from provincial government had not come through.
Zille said the city’s public transport system was a “key” focus for the council.
The city and province are working on a unified metropolitan transport authority and public transport implementation framework ahead of 2010, she said.
A smart card system, such as the one used on London’s tube and bus systems, was being planned for the city’s integrated transport network. - Cape Times
Speaking at the first “business meets the city” symposium on Tuesday, Zille said: “It will take 30 years to deal with the upgrading of informal settlements if we get everything right and spend the money effectively.”
The city has a housing backlog of 400 000 units. More than 135 000 people live in about 250 informal settlements that lack basic services and infrastructure.
‘If we just clean up for 2010, we will be creating more problems than we can solve’
Only 89 of these areas could be upgraded to formal housing developments.
But Zille said, in response to a question about the impression which shacks along the N2 created for tourists, that the relocation of these residents needed to be done in a “prioritised way”.
“If we just clean up for 2010, we will be creating more problems than we can solve.”
She said an unplanned removal of people living in shacks along the N2 and other areas would encourage land invasions and settlements on road and rail reserves.
Zille said the city was working on systems for long-term solutions, such as a database of informal settlements that need services and bulk infrastructure.
Hans Smit, executive director of integrated human settlement services for the city, said some of the informal settlements were located in flood plains or near electricity pylons.
He said settlements that could be upgraded would be added to the city’s integrated housing development programme. But, he added, the upgrading and integration of these settlements would “take some years”.
The city would need at least 500 hectares of land to de-densify informal settlements. The city’s “progressive” informal settlement policy would go to the mayoral committee for comment within the next few weeks.
Zille said the city’s red tape often delayed projects, especially those related to housing and the release of land for industrial development. More needed to be spent on infrastructure, such as the city’s sewerage and wastewater treatment systems, and the upgrading of road and rail links.
Janine Myburgh, president of the Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the supply of electricity was the city’s biggest challenge. “We can expect a decade of power problems.”
She said the city’s electricity supply was also being sabotaged by copper cable theft.
Ian Neilson, mayco member for finance, said the under-spending of the city’s budget was affecting its ability to deliver critical services.
The fact that there was more than R3-billion left in the bank from unused grants and revenue was “embarrassing”.
He said many projects were stalled or scrapped during a period of “budget instability” when money was taken off or shifted elsewhere.
Often, projects were halted because funding from provincial government had not come through.
Zille said the city’s public transport system was a “key” focus for the council.
The city and province are working on a unified metropolitan transport authority and public transport implementation framework ahead of 2010, she said.
A smart card system, such as the one used on London’s tube and bus systems, was being planned for the city’s integrated transport network. - Cape Times
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