Trying to understand the apartheid-style eviction images on television, so many years on, is not difficult. Regarding the Delft evictions of ’08, it boils down to the "HOUSING LIST".
What and Where is the HOUSING LIST?
This caped ‘thing’ exists, in a dark vault in some municipal or provincial building as if it is a secret closely tied to national security.
And it is… now!
Failure to make the "HOUSING LIST" public is the cause of this Delft problem, and that blame lands squarely on the doorstep of municipal and provincial government. (in Cape Town include national government)However for it to be effective, it should be available to all; in the center of town; on a clearly listed marked and visible pedestal for all to see!
The size of the provincial and municipal information technology budget should at least allow for there to be some form of centralised list, or spreadsheet.
People who have been placed on the waiting list should have an opportunity to find and view their place on the list.
The delft crisis was born of the Joe Slovo fires and tent settlements of 2000-2005, the urgent N2 Gateway project was born in a political orgy of policies and twisted tenders. Now in 2008 it appears no different, tent cities, political point scoring and yet still little to no valued delivery!
Throughout this time people who occupied the land in Joe Slovo, were never shown the "HOUSING LIST". So they could be informed members of the public as to where they were on that "HOUSING LIST".
The situation has never improved. No-one can say they know what the housing list looks like – how long it is and why it is for ‘some-eyes-only’.
I challenge ANYONE to make the housing list available to InternAfrica so that we may host it and make it available to the public on our website.
Random housing invasions will not be happening if housing was treated in an orderly and adult way and not a political point scoring vapour-promise of houses or a home for all.
Without a place on the housing list, that promise is nothing but an expensive billboard, which quite frankly would be more helpful to all citizens of Cape Town if it were the printed housing list.
InternAfrica blames politics (National, Provincial & Municipal) for failing the City of Cape Town, and throwing good money after bad.
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