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THE BOSTON GLOBE
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
City must refund R3 000 for toilet
Fed up with waiting for toilets to be delivered to their informal settlement, residents of QQ section in Khayelitsha have had their own environmentally friendly toilet installed and are now demanding that the City of Cape Town reimburse them for the R3 000 it cost.
Community leader Mzonke Poni said residents had come up with the idea because QQ section had been in existence for 20 years, but still did not have access to basic services.
Residents had used open spaces for toilets or had relied on toilets in nearby houses.
| Residents had used open spaces for toilets or had relied on toilets in nearby houses |
The focus of the fundraising was so that children at a crèche in the area, also established by the community, would have a safe toilet.
Poni said the toilet, obtained through a local NGO and installed by the community, was environmentally friendly as it did not produce a smell and its decomposed waste could be used as fertiliser.
But he said providing toilets was the city's responsibility and residents should be reimbursed.
One resident, Joyce Graham, 41, said she feared children could be sexually abused when having to go to the toilet in nearby bushes or behind shacks and felt happier that there was now a proper toilet.
City of Cape Town spokes-man Charles Cooper said residents had installed the toilet at their own risk.
He said if they wanted to be refunded they would have to speak to their ward councillor to see if they could be assisted through money allocated to the ward.
The city was planning the installation of 1 364 chemical toilets for QQ section, but the toilets were being imported and had yet to be delivered. It was hoped the toilets would arrive within two weeks but success would depend on community acceptance and buy-in. - Cape Argus
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thousands pick up the pieces after heavy rain
More than 5 500 informal settlement residents took advantage of the sunshine on Sunday and cleaned up their homes damaged by lashing rains at the weekend.
According to Cape Town's City Disaster Management Centre, about 1 750 people took refuge in community halls which the city had set aside for flood victims, while the rest stayed to guard their belongings.
It said about 1 535 shacks around the city were flooded.
In Lotus River, where 500 people who were affected by flooding chose not to go to a community hall, residents said they had been using buckets to empty their shacks of water.
Bonani Mlonyeni said he had been cleaning his shack since Saturday morning. No matter what he did, he said, his shack remained damp throughout winter.
Vuyokazi Mavatha said she was trying not to think of the possibility that her roof, damaged by the rain, could cave in under the pressure.
At the weekend, the province's joint operations centre dealing with displaced foreigners merged with the city's operations centre dealing with flood relief efforts.
By Sunday, the areas worst affected included Kosovo and Phola Park, where in each area about 1 200 residents were displaced, the Disaster Management Centre said.
Earlier, at least 1 500 residents were housed in the Browns Farm Community Hall and another 250 in the Weltevreden hall, but they returned home to clean up.
Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Wilfred
Solomons-Johannes said many areas were waterlogged, which could lead to "public health risks associated with stagnant polluted water".
He said the city's transport, roads and stormwater department was pumping stagnant water out of the affected areas.
Authorities have also been dealing with up to 9 000 displaced foreigners and trying to "avoid" housing them with locals in case of more xenophobic attacks.
Robert MacDonald, on Sunday spokesperson for Mayor Helen Zille, said the foreigners were being housed in either safety camps or community halls.
"We're trying to avoid having (locals) placed with foreigners. There's plenty of space in community halls. At first the halls were housing at least 6 000 people. Now there are about 1 500 people. Some halls have few people and we plan to move them together to free more
halls for flood victims," he said.
More than 100 refugees staying outside the Caledon Square Police Station since Wednesday were still there last night, a spokesperson at the station said.
The SA Weather Service said the heavy rains were
expected to ease this week.
Meanwhile, the SA Red Cross Society is appealing for donations of warm clothes, food and blankets. The society's secretary-general, Mandisa Kalako-Williams, said it did not have enough of these items to cater to the displaced foreigners and the flood victims.
Donations may be dropped off at 21 Broad Road, Wynberg.
Jo Maxwell, founder of the Good Night and God Bless sleeping bag project, also appealed for volunteers to help make the bags because she had cracked her ribs and could not carry on the work. She can be contacted on 021-685-4517.
- Cape Times
According to Cape Town's City Disaster Management Centre, about 1 750 people took refuge in community halls which the city had set aside for flood victims, while the rest stayed to guard their belongings.
It said about 1 535 shacks around the city were flooded.
In Lotus River, where 500 people who were affected by flooding chose not to go to a community hall, residents said they had been using buckets to empty their shacks of water.
Bonani Mlonyeni said he had been cleaning his shack since Saturday morning. No matter what he did, he said, his shack remained damp throughout winter.
Vuyokazi Mavatha said she was trying not to think of the possibility that her roof, damaged by the rain, could cave in under the pressure.
At the weekend, the province's joint operations centre dealing with displaced foreigners merged with the city's operations centre dealing with flood relief efforts.
By Sunday, the areas worst affected included Kosovo and Phola Park, where in each area about 1 200 residents were displaced, the Disaster Management Centre said.
Earlier, at least 1 500 residents were housed in the Browns Farm Community Hall and another 250 in the Weltevreden hall, but they returned home to clean up.
Disaster Management Centre spokesperson Wilfred
Solomons-Johannes said many areas were waterlogged, which could lead to "public health risks associated with stagnant polluted water".
He said the city's transport, roads and stormwater department was pumping stagnant water out of the affected areas.
Authorities have also been dealing with up to 9 000 displaced foreigners and trying to "avoid" housing them with locals in case of more xenophobic attacks.
Robert MacDonald, on Sunday spokesperson for Mayor Helen Zille, said the foreigners were being housed in either safety camps or community halls.
"We're trying to avoid having (locals) placed with foreigners. There's plenty of space in community halls. At first the halls were housing at least 6 000 people. Now there are about 1 500 people. Some halls have few people and we plan to move them together to free more
halls for flood victims," he said.
More than 100 refugees staying outside the Caledon Square Police Station since Wednesday were still there last night, a spokesperson at the station said.
The SA Weather Service said the heavy rains were
expected to ease this week.
Meanwhile, the SA Red Cross Society is appealing for donations of warm clothes, food and blankets. The society's secretary-general, Mandisa Kalako-Williams, said it did not have enough of these items to cater to the displaced foreigners and the flood victims.
Donations may be dropped off at 21 Broad Road, Wynberg.
Jo Maxwell, founder of the Good Night and God Bless sleeping bag project, also appealed for volunteers to help make the bags because she had cracked her ribs and could not carry on the work. She can be contacted on 021-685-4517.
- Cape Times
Sunday, June 22, 2008
1,500 still sheltered from Cape flooding
About 1,500 of the 5,500 people flooded out of their shacks by downpours on the Cape Flats this week were still being accommodated in community halls, the city said.
Disaster management spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said they could not go back to their homes because of the health risks posed by pools of stagnant water.
About 4,000 people had returned to their communities to protect their homes and belongings, he said.
The rest were still being accommodated in the Brown's Farm and Weltevreden community halls.
City workers had been deployed in the affected areas to pump out the stagnant water. - Sapa
Disaster management spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said they could not go back to their homes because of the health risks posed by pools of stagnant water.
About 4,000 people had returned to their communities to protect their homes and belongings, he said.
The rest were still being accommodated in the Brown's Farm and Weltevreden community halls.
City workers had been deployed in the affected areas to pump out the stagnant water. - Sapa
Saturday, June 21, 2008
4,000 homeless after CT storms
Heavy rains have left more than 4 000 people living in informal settlements homeless in the Cape Peninsula, the SABC reported on Friday.
The affected areas include Samora Machel, Kosovo and Gugulethu.
Those displaced have been accommodated in community halls and were being provided with blankets and meals. - NEWS24
The affected areas include Samora Machel, Kosovo and Gugulethu.
Those displaced have been accommodated in community halls and were being provided with blankets and meals. - NEWS24
City staffers under investigation
More than 30 staff from the City of Cape Town's planning and building development department are being investigated for allegedly drawing and processing plans privately without council permission.
A firm of forensic experts has been appointed to investigate irregularities in about 1 000 plans that were processed by the department over a 12-month period. The department dealt with close to 50 000 plans during this time.
Piet van Zyl, executive director for strategy and planning, said the department received a tip-off about corrupt activities last year. After a preliminary assessment, the department appointed a forensic firm to do a full investigation.
Other concerns include whether due process and checks and balances had been followed for all building approvals.
The city's planning department has been battling with staff shortages and complaints about inefficiency.
JP Smith, DA councillor and chairperson of the Good Hope Sub-Council, said on Thursday there was concern about corruption in the processing of property leases, particularly in the Hout Bay area.
Planning and environment mayoral committee member Marian Nieuwoudt said: "The investigation seeks to ensure good governance, ethical practices, law enforcement and that no member of the public was advantaged or prejudiced by the actions of the staff."
She said the department had "taken actions" to limit any negative impact on service delivery. Staff would be moved between offices to ensure there was no service disruption.
"The duration of the process and further steps will be determined by the results of the investigation," she said.
Meanwhile, the city's property management department will ask the council next week to approve a recommendation for a two-year moratorium to be placed on the processing of applications for city property that benefit only the abutting owner without contributing to general economic and social development.
In a report submitted to the city's mayoral committee, property management director Ruby Gelderbloem said statistics revealed that many of the applications for city property would be used by products or services not of "strategic importance" to the city and only be economically viable for the property owner.
Gelderbloem said 2 238 of the city's 5 300 lease contracts had expired and not been renewed. The city's whole lease portfolio, of about 5 300 contracts, is worth R3,4-million. The city was losing more than half of this revenue by not having the capacity to process extensions.
Gelderbloem said 16 staff needed to be employed "as soon as possible" to help manage the city's lease portfolio. - Cape Times
A firm of forensic experts has been appointed to investigate irregularities in about 1 000 plans that were processed by the department over a 12-month period. The department dealt with close to 50 000 plans during this time.
Piet van Zyl, executive director for strategy and planning, said the department received a tip-off about corrupt activities last year. After a preliminary assessment, the department appointed a forensic firm to do a full investigation.
Other concerns include whether due process and checks and balances had been followed for all building approvals.
The city's planning department has been battling with staff shortages and complaints about inefficiency.
JP Smith, DA councillor and chairperson of the Good Hope Sub-Council, said on Thursday there was concern about corruption in the processing of property leases, particularly in the Hout Bay area.
Planning and environment mayoral committee member Marian Nieuwoudt said: "The investigation seeks to ensure good governance, ethical practices, law enforcement and that no member of the public was advantaged or prejudiced by the actions of the staff."
She said the department had "taken actions" to limit any negative impact on service delivery. Staff would be moved between offices to ensure there was no service disruption.
"The duration of the process and further steps will be determined by the results of the investigation," she said.
Meanwhile, the city's property management department will ask the council next week to approve a recommendation for a two-year moratorium to be placed on the processing of applications for city property that benefit only the abutting owner without contributing to general economic and social development.
In a report submitted to the city's mayoral committee, property management director Ruby Gelderbloem said statistics revealed that many of the applications for city property would be used by products or services not of "strategic importance" to the city and only be economically viable for the property owner.
Gelderbloem said 2 238 of the city's 5 300 lease contracts had expired and not been renewed. The city's whole lease portfolio, of about 5 300 contracts, is worth R3,4-million. The city was losing more than half of this revenue by not having the capacity to process extensions.
Gelderbloem said 16 staff needed to be employed "as soon as possible" to help manage the city's lease portfolio. - Cape Times
Kewtown housing project gathers momentum
The construction of 236 houses under the People's Housing Process (PHP) project is gaining momentum in Kewtown, near Athlone.
Already 50 houses have been completed in the past five weeks while the rest are at different stages of completion.
The project is set for completion before Christmas and is being driven by the provincial Housing Department, the community, banks and 153 volunteer construction students from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
The project was first mooted in 1993 and was meant to accommodate 100 backyard dwellers from Kewtown, another 100 from Bokmakierie and 36 from Belgravia.
Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi on Thursday addressed more than a hundred Kewtown residents to mark the continuation of the project. Rasool urged people to stop looking at housing projects in the province along racial lines.
"We are busy with a non-racial programme," he said, adding that accusations that the government was building more houses for people in Khayelitsha than in Mitchells Plain should stop.
He said the government was doing everything in its capacity to provide accommodation for everyone. In 1994 when the ANC government came to power the housing budget per year was R447-million. It now stood at R1,2-billion.
"More and more of our people need houses," he said.
Dyantyi told the gathering that by helping people acquire their own properties, the government was in the process of creating wealth for them.
"Recipients of government housing subsidies should not sell their houses until they have lived in them for at least eight years," said Rasool. - Cape Argus
Already 50 houses have been completed in the past five weeks while the rest are at different stages of completion.
The project is set for completion before Christmas and is being driven by the provincial Housing Department, the community, banks and 153 volunteer construction students from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
The project was first mooted in 1993 and was meant to accommodate 100 backyard dwellers from Kewtown, another 100 from Bokmakierie and 36 from Belgravia.
Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi on Thursday addressed more than a hundred Kewtown residents to mark the continuation of the project. Rasool urged people to stop looking at housing projects in the province along racial lines.
"We are busy with a non-racial programme," he said, adding that accusations that the government was building more houses for people in Khayelitsha than in Mitchells Plain should stop.
He said the government was doing everything in its capacity to provide accommodation for everyone. In 1994 when the ANC government came to power the housing budget per year was R447-million. It now stood at R1,2-billion.
"More and more of our people need houses," he said.
Dyantyi told the gathering that by helping people acquire their own properties, the government was in the process of creating wealth for them.
"Recipients of government housing subsidies should not sell their houses until they have lived in them for at least eight years," said Rasool. - Cape Argus
Imizamo Yethu upgrade due at the end of 2009
A long-awaited upgrade of Hout Bay's Imizamo Yethu informal settlement could start in 18 months, the Good Hope sub-council has heard.
Hout Bay ward councillor Marga Haywood told the meeting on Thursday that following successful community meetings this week to consider a final development plan for the area, bulldozers could be expected to move in and raze current informal housing to make way for two-storey flats, schools and a clinic.
However, upgrade plans for Hangberg still required a lot of attention, she said.
Haywood came under fire shortly after being elected early last year for suggesting that people be forced to move out of Imizamo Yethu as the only solution to overcrowding and health hazards in the area.
ANC councillor John Mokoena told the sub-council meeting on Thursday that even though upgrades were on the cards for the impoverished communities of Hout Bay, he was still concerned that poor and affluent parts of the area had not been well integrated.
Mokoena mooted a development framework for achieving this and got the support of sub-council chairman JP Smith, who said integration needed to happen.
As Smith took stock of their work, after being in office exactly two years, he reported that the sub-council had handled more than 5 000 service delivery and operational complaints, but that a backlog of at least 1 000 more e-mailed queries still needed attention.
Ward 54 councillor Belinda Walker said the Good Hope sub-council was a complex one to manage because the wants and needs of both business and residents had to be taken into account.
A number of public areas also needed to be managed.
Smith said the sub-council would continue to focus on the upgrade of four major public open areas: Greenmarket Square, the Grand Parade, St George's Mall and the station deck, as these would all be vital spaces for the 2010 World Cup.
The city would spend R2-million on upgrades to the toilets on Greenmarket Square and road closures around the area.
While lots more work still needed to be done to the station deck, Smith said there had already been dramatic improvements.
From an estimated 15 muggings reported daily on the deck, Smith said that, at most, about two such incidents were now reported every fortnight.
The sub-council would continue to clamp down on the sex industry, especially along the Atlantic seaboard. They had already revoked the business licence of one escort agency and the sub-council was in the process of cancelling another.
Sub-council manager Marius Coetsee reported that, overall, capital spending of that sub-council had improved significantly.
Ward 54 in the Good Hope sub-council managed a 94.8 percent spend. The ward encompasses the Atlantic seaboard from Mouille Point to Fresnaye.
Ward 77, which includes the CBD, Foreshore, Tamboerskloof and other City Bowl suburbs, had reached 51.5 percent capital spend, with R110 000 allocated for consultants' fees for the Greenmarket Square upgrade, to be rolled over to the next financial year. - Cape Argus
Hout Bay ward councillor Marga Haywood told the meeting on Thursday that following successful community meetings this week to consider a final development plan for the area, bulldozers could be expected to move in and raze current informal housing to make way for two-storey flats, schools and a clinic.
However, upgrade plans for Hangberg still required a lot of attention, she said.
| ...the sub-council had handled more than 5 000 service delivery and operational complaints |
ANC councillor John Mokoena told the sub-council meeting on Thursday that even though upgrades were on the cards for the impoverished communities of Hout Bay, he was still concerned that poor and affluent parts of the area had not been well integrated.
Mokoena mooted a development framework for achieving this and got the support of sub-council chairman JP Smith, who said integration needed to happen.
As Smith took stock of their work, after being in office exactly two years, he reported that the sub-council had handled more than 5 000 service delivery and operational complaints, but that a backlog of at least 1 000 more e-mailed queries still needed attention.
Ward 54 councillor Belinda Walker said the Good Hope sub-council was a complex one to manage because the wants and needs of both business and residents had to be taken into account.
| The sub-council would continue to clamp down on the sex industry |
Smith said the sub-council would continue to focus on the upgrade of four major public open areas: Greenmarket Square, the Grand Parade, St George's Mall and the station deck, as these would all be vital spaces for the 2010 World Cup.
The city would spend R2-million on upgrades to the toilets on Greenmarket Square and road closures around the area.
While lots more work still needed to be done to the station deck, Smith said there had already been dramatic improvements.
From an estimated 15 muggings reported daily on the deck, Smith said that, at most, about two such incidents were now reported every fortnight.
The sub-council would continue to clamp down on the sex industry, especially along the Atlantic seaboard. They had already revoked the business licence of one escort agency and the sub-council was in the process of cancelling another.
Sub-council manager Marius Coetsee reported that, overall, capital spending of that sub-council had improved significantly.
Ward 54 in the Good Hope sub-council managed a 94.8 percent spend. The ward encompasses the Atlantic seaboard from Mouille Point to Fresnaye.
Ward 77, which includes the CBD, Foreshore, Tamboerskloof and other City Bowl suburbs, had reached 51.5 percent capital spend, with R110 000 allocated for consultants' fees for the Greenmarket Square upgrade, to be rolled over to the next financial year. - Cape Argus
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Slow delivery blamed for xeno violence
The state at fault – study
Violence against foreigners was caused by the slow pace of service delivery, especially relating to housing.
Residents were also angered by inefficient communication between them and the government. Perceived corruption and the impropriety of government officials also sparked the violence.
These are some of the factors identified by a Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) study as being critical to the emergence of tensions around the country. The study was conducted in Alexandra, Tembisa and Mamelodi, all in Gauteng; and Imizamo Yethu in Western Cape – the four areas that have seen the worst xenophobic clashes.
The HSRC says: “When respondents were probed about the role (and/or actions) of the government in the attacks, a general sense of dissatisfaction was expressed about government’s handling of the conflict.
“Though not holding the government directly culpable for the attacks, a number of exchanges illustrated a general opinion that government bodies, especially at local level, had not been effectively communicating and engaging with residents on issues ranging from service delivery to probing thoughts and grievances about foreign nationals.”
One of the 100 people canvassed during the study said: “Government officials must come down to the people and ask what is wrong, instead of coming up with words such as ‘they are going nowhere and they are here to stay’.”
The HSRC’s democracy and governance programme director, Adrian Hadland, says: “The rising number of immigrants who come into the country is uncontrollable. The government has been taking things for granted. Border policies should be revisited.”
Accepting the report on Monday, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said: “The government is aware of the problems faced by communities. They are worrying.”
“Housing developments and the rate of unemployment will be resolved soon. We promise to do more to rid the country of these problems.” - Sowetan
Monday, June 16, 2008
Athlone housing project gets the nod
A 260-unit housing scheme in Kewtown, Athlone, delayed for a decade, has finally got the green light and is expected to be completed by Christmas.
The provincial department of housing said the People's Housing Process (PHP) initiative would cost nearly R10-million.
The project, which is due to begin on Thursday, has been delayed for more than a decade due to allegations of corruption and constant changes in the leadership of the programme, stretching the patience of beneficiaries to the limit.
Addressing more than 100 excited Kewtown residents, who had braved the cold weather to attend the meeting at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) hall, Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi said housing needs had to be met.
While the residents were happy that the project was now taking off, there was some tension over the likely beneficiaries. Some argued that they had been on the waiting list longer than others and therefore deserved preference.
Dyantyi said the government was fighting corruption in the sector and had come up with new policies to protect the neediest.
Backyard dwellers, the disabled and pensioners were among the residents who attended the meeting and highlighted the fact that they were in dire need of decent houses.
"For more than 15 years we have been staying in a Wendy house. Please, minister, we need help - people think we have no rights," said one blind couple.
Susan Davids, 41, with five children, said: "We are overcrowded - and we all need houses."
Unlike the RDP houses, Dyantyi said beneficiaries had financially contributed to the housing project.
"Unlike in Du Noon they are not going to sell their homes - they are proud," he said. - Cape Times
The provincial department of housing said the People's Housing Process (PHP) initiative would cost nearly R10-million.
The project, which is due to begin on Thursday, has been delayed for more than a decade due to allegations of corruption and constant changes in the leadership of the programme, stretching the patience of beneficiaries to the limit.
Addressing more than 100 excited Kewtown residents, who had braved the cold weather to attend the meeting at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) hall, Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi said housing needs had to be met.
While the residents were happy that the project was now taking off, there was some tension over the likely beneficiaries. Some argued that they had been on the waiting list longer than others and therefore deserved preference.
Dyantyi said the government was fighting corruption in the sector and had come up with new policies to protect the neediest.
Backyard dwellers, the disabled and pensioners were among the residents who attended the meeting and highlighted the fact that they were in dire need of decent houses.
"For more than 15 years we have been staying in a Wendy house. Please, minister, we need help - people think we have no rights," said one blind couple.
Susan Davids, 41, with five children, said: "We are overcrowded - and we all need houses."
Unlike the RDP houses, Dyantyi said beneficiaries had financially contributed to the housing project.
"Unlike in Du Noon they are not going to sell their homes - they are proud," he said. - Cape Times
Allocation of RDP Houses & Xenophobia
THE lack of transparency and communication on the criteria used by government in rendering services created rumours in local communities which fuelled xenophobic sentiments and the attacks which erupted across SA last month, experts say.
This comes after MEC Nomvula Mokonyane's housing department and the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) said foreign nationals deemed to be permanent residents were by law entitled to social housing if they met all the criteria.
Kevin Allan, a researcher with data service MunicipalIQ , said social housing waiting lists should be made public and government should inform communities on how the rewarding criteria worked.
"People should know who is on the list. The fact that lists are secret allows people to suspect corruption," Allan said.
In some areas where xenophobic attacks took place, there were reports that the allocation of houses to foreigners had contributed to the violence . The Democratic Alliance (DA) compiled a list of beneficiaries said to be foreign nationals who were allocated RDP houses in Alexandra. The Gauteng legislature portfolio committee on housing forwarded the list to the housing department for investigation.
The department yesterday admitted that nine houses were allocated to foreign nationals in Alexandra's Ext 7 -- but said all of them had permanent residence permits.
According to the national housing code, a person qualifies for a housing subsidy only if he or she is a citizen or is in possession of a permanent residence permit. Certified copies of the relevant documents must be submitted with the application.
The housing department and the ARP told the portfolio committee on housing yesterday that their investigation revealed that the nine beneficiaries in Alexandra qualified according to government policy.
Allan said if communities understood the criteria, the attacks would not have taken place. "Even if some people would be unhappy with the allocation of a house to a foreigner ... they would understand if they were well informed about the criteria."
Allan said the government should use structures on the ground such as ward forums to communicate with communities on how services were delivered and who qualified.
Although the committee accepted the department's explanation, DA member Kate Lorimer told members the DA did not accept the allocation of houses to foreigners.
"The DA cannot accept the policy stance but the allocation has been fair in terms of legislation and policy."
She said the DA position was that South African citizens should get houses before foreigners.
"We believe the policy of allocating houses to foreign passport holders contributed to the outbreak of violence. Unless this fact is faced, the causes of the violence will never be defused."
ARP director Julian Baskin said the way the policy issue had manifested was a challenge "but that does not mean that the policy is unjust".
Baskin said it was clear there were problems with the policy, but he was not part of a political structure. "My department cannot enter into a debate on who is a citizen and who is not," he said.
He said the ARP's function was to allocate according to government policy. He said they allocated houses to people who were in SA lawfully.
"There is no person who has been allocated a house who does not deserve it according to government policy. We take every precaution to ensure transparency," he said.
Baskin said the violence had more to do with stealing houses than xenophobia.
Department representative Mongezi Mnyani said thorough investigations were conducted before a house was allocated, such as checking the person was not earning above the social housing threshold as well as the validity of the submitted documents.
- Business Day
Friday, June 13, 2008
Xenophobic excuses for Transparency in Allocation of RDP Houses
THE lack of transparency and communication on the criteria used by government in rendering services created rumours in local communities which fuelled xenophobic sentiments and the attacks which erupted across SA last month, experts say.
This comes after MEC Nomvula Mokonyane's housing department and the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) said foreign nationals deemed to be permanent residents were by law entitled to social housing if they met all the criteria.
Kevin Allan, a researcher with data service MunicipalIQ , said social housing waiting lists should be made public and government should inform communities on how the rewarding criteria worked.
"People should know who is on the list. The fact that lists are secret allows people to suspect corruption," Allan said.
In some areas where xenophobic attacks took place, there were reports that the allocation of houses to foreigners had contributed to the violence . The Democratic Alliance (DA) compiled a list of beneficiaries said to be foreign nationals who were allocated RDP houses in Alexandra. The Gauteng legislature portfolio committee on housing forwarded the list to the housing department for investigation.
The department yesterday admitted that nine houses were allocated to foreign nationals in Alexandra's Ext 7 -- but said all of them had permanent residence permits.
According to the national housing code, a person qualifies for a housing subsidy only if he or she is a citizen or is in possession of a permanent residence permit. Certified copies of the relevant documents must be submitted with the application.
The housing department and the ARP told the portfolio committee on housing yesterday that their investigation revealed that the nine beneficiaries in Alexandra qualified according to government policy.
Allan said if communities understood the criteria, the attacks would not have taken place. "Even if some people would be unhappy with the allocation of a house to a foreigner ... they would understand if they were well informed about the criteria."
Allan said the government should use structures on the ground such as ward forums to communicate with communities on how services were delivered and who qualified.
Although the committee accepted the department's explanation, DA member Kate Lorimer told members the DA did not accept the allocation of houses to foreigners.
"The DA cannot accept the policy stance but the allocation has been fair in terms of legislation and policy."
She said the DA position was that South African citizens should get houses before foreigners.
"We believe the policy of allocating houses to foreign passport holders contributed to the outbreak of violence. Unless this fact is faced, the causes of the violence will never be defused."
ARP director Julian Baskin said the way the policy issue had manifested was a challenge "but that does not mean that the policy is unjust".
Baskin said it was clear there were problems with the policy, but he was not part of a political structure. "My department cannot enter into a debate on who is a citizen and who is not," he said.
He said the ARP's function was to allocate according to government policy. He said they allocated houses to people who were in SA lawfully.
"There is no person who has been allocated a house who does not deserve it according to government policy. We take every precaution to ensure transparency," he said.
Department representative Mongezi Mnyani said thorough investigations were conducted before a house was allocated, such as checking the person was not earning above the social housing threshold as well as the validity of the submitted documents. - Business Day
This comes after MEC Nomvula Mokonyane's housing department and the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) said foreign nationals deemed to be permanent residents were by law entitled to social housing if they met all the criteria.
Kevin Allan, a researcher with data service MunicipalIQ , said social housing waiting lists should be made public and government should inform communities on how the rewarding criteria worked.
"People should know who is on the list. The fact that lists are secret allows people to suspect corruption," Allan said.
In some areas where xenophobic attacks took place, there were reports that the allocation of houses to foreigners had contributed to the violence . The Democratic Alliance (DA) compiled a list of beneficiaries said to be foreign nationals who were allocated RDP houses in Alexandra. The Gauteng legislature portfolio committee on housing forwarded the list to the housing department for investigation.
The department yesterday admitted that nine houses were allocated to foreign nationals in Alexandra's Ext 7 -- but said all of them had permanent residence permits.
According to the national housing code, a person qualifies for a housing subsidy only if he or she is a citizen or is in possession of a permanent residence permit. Certified copies of the relevant documents must be submitted with the application.
The housing department and the ARP told the portfolio committee on housing yesterday that their investigation revealed that the nine beneficiaries in Alexandra qualified according to government policy.
Allan said if communities understood the criteria, the attacks would not have taken place. "Even if some people would be unhappy with the allocation of a house to a foreigner ... they would understand if they were well informed about the criteria."
Allan said the government should use structures on the ground such as ward forums to communicate with communities on how services were delivered and who qualified.
Although the committee accepted the department's explanation, DA member Kate Lorimer told members the DA did not accept the allocation of houses to foreigners.
"The DA cannot accept the policy stance but the allocation has been fair in terms of legislation and policy."
She said the DA position was that South African citizens should get houses before foreigners.
"We believe the policy of allocating houses to foreign passport holders contributed to the outbreak of violence. Unless this fact is faced, the causes of the violence will never be defused."
ARP director Julian Baskin said the way the policy issue had manifested was a challenge "but that does not mean that the policy is unjust".
Baskin said it was clear there were problems with the policy, but he was not part of a political structure. "My department cannot enter into a debate on who is a citizen and who is not," he said.
He said the ARP's function was to allocate according to government policy. He said they allocated houses to people who were in SA lawfully.
"There is no person who has been allocated a house who does not deserve it according to government policy. We take every precaution to ensure transparency," he said.
Baskin said the violence had more to do with stealing houses than xenophobia.
Department representative Mongezi Mnyani said thorough investigations were conducted before a house was allocated, such as checking the person was not earning above the social housing threshold as well as the validity of the submitted documents. - Business Day
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Civil war over RDP houses
ANC MP Rose Sonto, also the head of the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in the Western Cape, this week repeated unsubstantiated allegations that foreigners are buying government- subsidised houses and forcing South Africans to live in shacks.
He first accused foreigners of "taking over" government-subsidised housing in Du Noon township three months ago, shortly before xenophobic violence erupted in the settlement.
Following the allegations the provincial minister of housing, Richard Dyanti, went on a fact-finding mission to Du Noon. Dyanti and 32 officials conducted a door-to-door investigation of 500 houses in the township, and discovered that only one was owned by a foreigner. There are 2,500 RDP homes in Du Noon, where xenophobic violence first began in the Western Cape, displacing up to 25,000 people.
Their Housing Occupancy Survey -- named "your house is your asset" by Dyanti -- took place a week before the xenophobic attacks began.
"What this means is that government resources -- that were meant to restore dignity to our people and rid the country of slums and informal settlements -- go next door and as citizens we are at the mercy of foreigners.
"It might be undermined now, but later our democracy will suffer serious setbacks as we will become foreigners in our own country in the not-too-distant future. If we keep on hiding the truth behind xenophobia as we do, we will wake up one day being slaves of other people in our own country," Sonto said.
The Mail & Guardian this week interviewed a group of Congolese refugees who claimed they were told to leave their homes and the country or face being killed by people who belong to Sanco.
"When the people came to my house and told us to get out, I recognised some of them. They belong to what they call the street- committee and Sanco. They said they're from Sanco and foreigners everywhere must go because there is now a war between the South Africans and the foreigners because we're taking food from them," said Congolese national Deo Kabemba Ngulu.
Ironically, he said, it was his neighbour, also a member of Sanco, who saved his life: "She told the mob that gathered outside the house I was renting, that I am a good man and that my family and I will not die here next to her. She told them to give us time to get out."
This week Sonto, who is also an ANC MP, repeated his allegation that foreigners are buying RDP houses from locals and forcing increasing numbers of South Africans to live in shacks.
Sonto told the M&G he stands by what he said and that Dyanti is "not finished with his survey yet".
"South Africans, myself included, have never been xenophobic. Never. You are insisting on sensationalising this issue by dubbing it as xenophobia because it suits those -- including you -- who want to exacerbate the problem by your insistence that this is xenophobic," Sonto said.
"I don't have a problem with Margaret Thatcher's son buying a house in Constantia. That's not my context. My problem is the insignificant delivery of RDP houses because recipients get houses and sell them after a short space of time and then they go back to shacks. You don't have a problem with that, but I do."
Dyanti spokesperson Vusi Tshose denied that the minister went to Du Noon to check on foreigners who bought RDP houses. "He is doing a housing survey. We piloted 505 houses in Du Noon, of which 225 of the owners are the rightful owners, according to our database. Another 230 are South Africans but not the rightful owners. We found one person who is a foreigner and had proof that he bought the house. This is about housing corruption and not about foreigners," Tshose said. - M&G
He first accused foreigners of "taking over" government-subsidised housing in Du Noon township three months ago, shortly before xenophobic violence erupted in the settlement.
Following the allegations the provincial minister of housing, Richard Dyanti, went on a fact-finding mission to Du Noon. Dyanti and 32 officials conducted a door-to-door investigation of 500 houses in the township, and discovered that only one was owned by a foreigner. There are 2,500 RDP homes in Du Noon, where xenophobic violence first began in the Western Cape, displacing up to 25,000 people.
Their Housing Occupancy Survey -- named "your house is your asset" by Dyanti -- took place a week before the xenophobic attacks began.
Speaking at the Human Settlement Summit in Cape Town on February 29th, Sonto accused foreign nationals of owning "three-quarters" of RDP houses in Du Noon. Sonto also mentioned several other townships, Phillipi, Samora Machel and Delft, from which foreigners were later chased away.Shortly after Sonto's speech a Cape Town newspaper published an article quoting a nameless Zimbabwean allegedly making "big business out of RDP homes". The Zimbabwean, from Du Noon, said he had bought four RDP houses which he intends to renovate and resell.
In his speech Sonto accused "non-South African nationals" of "taking over". "With no apology, I must say, in what many would regard as being xenophobic, when laying bare the dangerous problem that is creeping into our democracy … many houses in various localities are owned by foreign nationals whose refugee status is unknown to us as citizens of this country," he said.
"They buy these houses to stay in them or to rent them out to needy South Africans," Sonto said.
He used Du Noon as an example of how "foreigners are taking over". "Three-quarters of Du Noon is owned by non-South Africans. Phillipi is another area -- Samora, Delft and many others are areas where government delivery is turned into misery for those who are supposed to be recipients.
"What this means is that government resources -- that were meant to restore dignity to our people and rid the country of slums and informal settlements -- go next door and as citizens we are at the mercy of foreigners.
"It might be undermined now, but later our democracy will suffer serious setbacks as we will become foreigners in our own country in the not-too-distant future. If we keep on hiding the truth behind xenophobia as we do, we will wake up one day being slaves of other people in our own country," Sonto said.
The Mail & Guardian this week interviewed a group of Congolese refugees who claimed they were told to leave their homes and the country or face being killed by people who belong to Sanco.
"When the people came to my house and told us to get out, I recognised some of them. They belong to what they call the street- committee and Sanco. They said they're from Sanco and foreigners everywhere must go because there is now a war between the South Africans and the foreigners because we're taking food from them," said Congolese national Deo Kabemba Ngulu.
Ironically, he said, it was his neighbour, also a member of Sanco, who saved his life: "She told the mob that gathered outside the house I was renting, that I am a good man and that my family and I will not die here next to her. She told them to give us time to get out."
This week Sonto, who is also an ANC MP, repeated his allegation that foreigners are buying RDP houses from locals and forcing increasing numbers of South Africans to live in shacks.
Sonto told the M&G he stands by what he said and that Dyanti is "not finished with his survey yet".
"South Africans, myself included, have never been xenophobic. Never. You are insisting on sensationalising this issue by dubbing it as xenophobia because it suits those -- including you -- who want to exacerbate the problem by your insistence that this is xenophobic," Sonto said.
"I don't have a problem with Margaret Thatcher's son buying a house in Constantia. That's not my context. My problem is the insignificant delivery of RDP houses because recipients get houses and sell them after a short space of time and then they go back to shacks. You don't have a problem with that, but I do."
Dyanti spokesperson Vusi Tshose denied that the minister went to Du Noon to check on foreigners who bought RDP houses. "He is doing a housing survey. We piloted 505 houses in Du Noon, of which 225 of the owners are the rightful owners, according to our database. Another 230 are South Africans but not the rightful owners. We found one person who is a foreigner and had proof that he bought the house. This is about housing corruption and not about foreigners," Tshose said. - M&G
No quick-fix remedy for informal settlements
HOUSING Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is beginning to echo some of her predecessors under National Party rule. Like them, she threatens to get rid of informal settlements. Like them, she will fail.
Sisulu recently seized the opportunity created by xenophobic violence to demand an extra R12bn from the treasury so that she can double the pace of state housing provision from its present level of about 250,000 units a year.
Even if she gets this money, the state is unlikely to be able to spend it on housing given the numerous deficiencies plaguing government at every level. The result will be more informal settlements. They have already mushroomed.
Recent figures from Statistics SA show that the number of households living in informal dwellings has risen in the past decade from 1,5-million to 1,8-million.
Yet Sisulu talks of “eradicating informality”. “At the moment ‘it’s a free for all’, (anybody can) put up a shack,” she said recently. Laws barring individuals from setting up informal dwellings therefore needed to be enforced, she said.
It’s been tried before, nowhere with more ruthlessness than in Western Cape, where Africans were subject to a double disability. In addition to being subject to the pass laws, aimed to minimise the number of Africans in all the cities, Western Cape Africans could not receive jobs if coloured labour was available.
Testimonies to the failure of the forced urban removal policy are the vast informal settlements on the Cape Flats for the past 30 years or more and the fact that in 1986 PW Botha’s government repealed the pass laws on the grounds that they were unenforceable.
Yet if you have an asset and no job, it makes sense to use that asset to earn income even if you then have to buy or erect a dwelling in an informal settlement. That there are markets in state-provided housing and — it would appear — also in informal housing is a good thing.
The government may feel informal settlements are a blot on the landscape. While they should not be romanticised — among other things they are prone to uncontrollable, often lethal, fires — they are a form of affordable housing for the poor.
To ensure that those who receive these houses will then remain in them and not sell or let them will require bureaucratic control and policing eerily reminiscent of the apartheid past.
Not only that, it will also be tantamount to criminalising the efforts of poor people to escape poverty. It will create a new form of inequality in the enjoyment of property rights between better-off people who can exploit property ownership to generate income and the poor, forbidden by law to do so.
It also risks creating a new source of violence, this time directed at the state. - M&G
Sisulu recently seized the opportunity created by xenophobic violence to demand an extra R12bn from the treasury so that she can double the pace of state housing provision from its present level of about 250,000 units a year.
Even if she gets this money, the state is unlikely to be able to spend it on housing given the numerous deficiencies plaguing government at every level. The result will be more informal settlements. They have already mushroomed.
Recent figures from Statistics SA show that the number of households living in informal dwellings has risen in the past decade from 1,5-million to 1,8-million.
Yet Sisulu talks of “eradicating informality”. “At the moment ‘it’s a free for all’, (anybody can) put up a shack,” she said recently. Laws barring individuals from setting up informal dwellings therefore needed to be enforced, she said.
It’s been tried before, nowhere with more ruthlessness than in Western Cape, where Africans were subject to a double disability. In addition to being subject to the pass laws, aimed to minimise the number of Africans in all the cities, Western Cape Africans could not receive jobs if coloured labour was available.
To chase Africans out of Cape Town’s informal settlements the previous government routinely bulldozed their homes, loaded them on to buses, and shipped them off to the Transkei. Despite the terror, large numbers thus deported soon found their way back to Cape Town. Whatever the risks and legal handicaps there, it was a better place to live than the Transkei.
Testimonies to the failure of the forced urban removal policy are the vast informal settlements on the Cape Flats for the past 30 years or more and the fact that in 1986 PW Botha’s government repealed the pass laws on the grounds that they were unenforceable.
"on the grounds that they were unenforceable"Apart from “eradicating informality”, Sisulu intends to act against some occupants of state-built formal houses. Owners who have sold such houses before the prescribed period has elapsed are guilty of a “criminal offence”, she says. This is a harsh way to describe economically rational behaviour that is not inherently criminal. Sisulu also objects to the renting out of such houses.
Yet if you have an asset and no job, it makes sense to use that asset to earn income even if you then have to buy or erect a dwelling in an informal settlement. That there are markets in state-provided housing and — it would appear — also in informal housing is a good thing.
The minister, though, is talking of laying charges against owners who have sold their houses, forcing them to reverse the sales, evict new tenants or owners, and compelling the original owners to move back in.
A housing policy which necessitates such coercion is bound to fail.
The government may feel informal settlements are a blot on the landscape. While they should not be romanticised — among other things they are prone to uncontrollable, often lethal, fires — they are a form of affordable housing for the poor.
Leaving aside fraud and bribery, the 2-million houses Sisulu talks of building in the next four years will go to the poorest of the poor. With unemployment at 40%, most of the newly housed will be jobless.
To ensure that those who receive these houses will then remain in them and not sell or let them will require bureaucratic control and policing eerily reminiscent of the apartheid past.
Not only that, it will also be tantamount to criminalising the efforts of poor people to escape poverty. It will create a new form of inequality in the enjoyment of property rights between better-off people who can exploit property ownership to generate income and the poor, forbidden by law to do so.
It also risks creating a new source of violence, this time directed at the state. - M&G
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Cape of Storms - SSS
Tension ran high at Soetwater on Tuesday night where about 3,500 people displaced by xenophobic attacks are housed in the city's largest safety site.
Thirteen buses ordered by the province to evacuate the camp stood empty as conflicts between authorities and refugees erupted inside the site.
Armed Metro Police had accompanied nearly 20 Bambanani volunteers sent to dismantle vacant and broken tents.
Misinterpreting this as forced removal, Somalians, Zimbabweans and Congolese again threatened to drown themselves in the ocean.
Women with babies strapped to their backs and shouting men ran towards the ocean, but no one went into the water...
The province came prepared with a list of suitable relocation centres for each group. Officials asked to meet individual leaders because there was no one venue that could hold the camp's 3,500 residents...
"The province is stepping in and then angering the city and the problem is that no one is telling the people what is happening."
About a fifth of the 20,000 people displaced by the violence in the Western Cape have been either reintegrated or repatriated, provincial officials said on Tuesday.
The provincial disaster management centre said the number of displaced people was estimated at 15,910 the bulk of them in the Cape Town metro.
Hans Smit, the city's executive director of housing, said the city would continue to challenge an urgent High Court interdict obtained by the province on Monday night forcing the city to open 18 community halls to those displaced by the attacks.
The city said it wants the Western Cape provincial administration to first use facilities under its own control, and that community halls are not the best way to accommodate the refugees.
It also said that 15 of the 18 halls mentioned in the interdict were already being used to house the refugees.
A counter court bid by the city yesterday stopped three of the city's community halls - those in Scarborough, Bellville and Retreat - from being opened to the displaced.
"Using community halls risks exacerbating local tensions and extending the xenophobic problems that we are trying to address," Smit said.
He said the halls had to be kept open in case of natural disasters, such as flooding.
The latest spat between the city and the province comes after the province's unscheduled relocation late on Monday night of about 22 people from Soetwater because of safety concerns...
- Cape Times
Thirteen buses ordered by the province to evacuate the camp stood empty as conflicts between authorities and refugees erupted inside the site.
Armed Metro Police had accompanied nearly 20 Bambanani volunteers sent to dismantle vacant and broken tents.
Misinterpreting this as forced removal, Somalians, Zimbabweans and Congolese again threatened to drown themselves in the ocean.
Women with babies strapped to their backs and shouting men ran towards the ocean, but no one went into the water...
The province came prepared with a list of suitable relocation centres for each group. Officials asked to meet individual leaders because there was no one venue that could hold the camp's 3,500 residents...
"The province is stepping in and then angering the city and the problem is that no one is telling the people what is happening."
About a fifth of the 20,000 people displaced by the violence in the Western Cape have been either reintegrated or repatriated, provincial officials said on Tuesday.
The provincial disaster management centre said the number of displaced people was estimated at 15,910 the bulk of them in the Cape Town metro.
Hans Smit, the city's executive director of housing, said the city would continue to challenge an urgent High Court interdict obtained by the province on Monday night forcing the city to open 18 community halls to those displaced by the attacks.
The city said it wants the Western Cape provincial administration to first use facilities under its own control, and that community halls are not the best way to accommodate the refugees.
It also said that 15 of the 18 halls mentioned in the interdict were already being used to house the refugees.
A counter court bid by the city yesterday stopped three of the city's community halls - those in Scarborough, Bellville and Retreat - from being opened to the displaced.
"Using community halls risks exacerbating local tensions and extending the xenophobic problems that we are trying to address," Smit said.
He said the halls had to be kept open in case of natural disasters, such as flooding.
More than 35,000 people were affected by flooding last winter and many were housed in council halls.
The latest spat between the city and the province comes after the province's unscheduled relocation late on Monday night of about 22 people from Soetwater because of safety concerns...
- Cape Times
Partying into the apocalypse
There's a Somali on your stoep. Of course, it's insane to set up refugee camps across the road from nice, middle-class suburbs. They should put them in gated communities. There, at least, they'll be safe. Also, there will be no excuses for being late to guard the boom or dab the dribble off the little master's chin.
Another good place is a golf course, that lush, green, up-yours to the poverty gap.
But that's just a distraction and not what we need to talk about today. I've been waiting for the right time to bring this up, but there's always some sort of pressing need -- restless natives or the petrol price or trying to figure out whether brown shoes go with black pants.
This stuff all seems so important at the time. It's the big issues, however, that will get us in the end. The global ones.
So, let me take one of them off your mind: the food crisis.
Go get some scissors and sticky tape and put this up on the side of the fridge right next to the emergency numbers. Here's a guide to getting through the food crisis.
If you're poor
First, what are you doing with a fridge and a copy of the Mail & Guardian?
Second, don't expect too much.
I just read a report online that most of the poor survive on "just one meal a day". Which leads me to ask … who needs more than one meal a day?
Personally, I've switched from a meal-based diet to a snack-based one: handful-sized portions spread across the day to keep my metabolism ticking.
Wouldn't you like to feel a little less sluggish while loitering and talking to yourself?
Live your best life now.
I see what you're going for, bulking up on the starches, just try to replace processed grains with Low GI alternatives. I know, you haven't come this far in life to eat brown bread, but consider the benefits of products such as the Woolworths "Fuller For Longer" loaf. A bit like chewing wood chips, but better than huffing glue.
Also, most sushi restaurants have half-price nights on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
If you're rich
Eat the poor.
The 1973 film, Soylent Green, is set in a hunger-ravaged 2022. In it, Charlton Heston discovers that the moreish green biscuit most of the population survives on is made from … gasp! People!
Now, there's an idea. Think of all the varieties we could have. Biscuits made from the homeless could be marked "free range". The ones made from vegetarians could be marked "grain fed". The ones made from parliamentarians, "high in omega-3 fatty acids".
Eat your favourites now
You've heard that the world's ocean fish reserves are dwindling. All the more reason to order that seared tuna while you can.
The bleeding hearts will cry: "What about the children? And your children's children?"
Well, I say, if the children have never tasted it, they'll never know what they're missing so, if you have young kids, don't allow them to develop a taste for the good stuff. Shark fin soup is for mummy and daddy.
That goes for red meat too. Me, I like my meat so rare the World Wildlife Fund is outside protesting.
Convert all that biofuel back into mealies
It's quite a thing, turning food into fuel. A fine demonstration of human ingenuity.
Now change it back.
Ignore the problem till it goes away … Or we do.
Carl Sagan once called our attention to the fact that life on any planet will inevitably end. Sometime. Somehow. So, our choice is to die here or travel into space.
Well, we're a little behind on the last option, so our real choice is between being grumpy about the inevitable end or staring it right in the eye and asking it to dance.
Humans are a species that like a good time. I like that about us. I even liked that about the Romans. Sure, the city was burning, but apart from the horror of the end, they knew how to throw a party.
It's a pity that those of us in a position to extend the life of this species continue to will disaster on ourselves with our suburban hypocrisies, gluttonies, apathies and our carelessness with one another.
It's in the little stuff -- our treatment of the foreigners in tents across the highway -- that we reveal our lack of foresight; our unwillingness to accept that there will be consequences for our actions.
- M&G QUIET RIOT
Another good place is a golf course, that lush, green, up-yours to the poverty gap.
But that's just a distraction and not what we need to talk about today. I've been waiting for the right time to bring this up, but there's always some sort of pressing need -- restless natives or the petrol price or trying to figure out whether brown shoes go with black pants.
This stuff all seems so important at the time. It's the big issues, however, that will get us in the end. The global ones.
So, let me take one of them off your mind: the food crisis.
Go get some scissors and sticky tape and put this up on the side of the fridge right next to the emergency numbers. Here's a guide to getting through the food crisis.
If you're poor
First, what are you doing with a fridge and a copy of the Mail & Guardian?
Second, don't expect too much.
I just read a report online that most of the poor survive on "just one meal a day". Which leads me to ask … who needs more than one meal a day?
Personally, I've switched from a meal-based diet to a snack-based one: handful-sized portions spread across the day to keep my metabolism ticking.
Wouldn't you like to feel a little less sluggish while loitering and talking to yourself?
Live your best life now.
I see what you're going for, bulking up on the starches, just try to replace processed grains with Low GI alternatives. I know, you haven't come this far in life to eat brown bread, but consider the benefits of products such as the Woolworths "Fuller For Longer" loaf. A bit like chewing wood chips, but better than huffing glue.
Also, most sushi restaurants have half-price nights on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
If you're rich
Eat the poor.
The 1973 film, Soylent Green, is set in a hunger-ravaged 2022. In it, Charlton Heston discovers that the moreish green biscuit most of the population survives on is made from … gasp! People!
Now, there's an idea. Think of all the varieties we could have. Biscuits made from the homeless could be marked "free range". The ones made from vegetarians could be marked "grain fed". The ones made from parliamentarians, "high in omega-3 fatty acids".
Eat your favourites now
You've heard that the world's ocean fish reserves are dwindling. All the more reason to order that seared tuna while you can.
The bleeding hearts will cry: "What about the children? And your children's children?"
Well, I say, if the children have never tasted it, they'll never know what they're missing so, if you have young kids, don't allow them to develop a taste for the good stuff. Shark fin soup is for mummy and daddy.
That goes for red meat too. Me, I like my meat so rare the World Wildlife Fund is outside protesting.
Convert all that biofuel back into mealies
It's quite a thing, turning food into fuel. A fine demonstration of human ingenuity.
Now change it back.
Ignore the problem till it goes away … Or we do.
Carl Sagan once called our attention to the fact that life on any planet will inevitably end. Sometime. Somehow. So, our choice is to die here or travel into space.
Well, we're a little behind on the last option, so our real choice is between being grumpy about the inevitable end or staring it right in the eye and asking it to dance.
Humans are a species that like a good time. I like that about us. I even liked that about the Romans. Sure, the city was burning, but apart from the horror of the end, they knew how to throw a party.
It's a pity that those of us in a position to extend the life of this species continue to will disaster on ourselves with our suburban hypocrisies, gluttonies, apathies and our carelessness with one another.
It's in the little stuff -- our treatment of the foreigners in tents across the highway -- that we reveal our lack of foresight; our unwillingness to accept that there will be consequences for our actions.
But if it is all going to end, I invite you to join me in not being grim about it.
Tap your toe to the apocalypso!
Do not go gentle.
- M&G QUIET RIOT
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Masiphumelele's housing project gets green light
The much-publicised multimillion-rand Masiphumelele housing project has finally been approved by the Department of Local Government and Housing after long delays.
Lutz van Dijk, board member of NGO Amakhaya Ngoku, which initiated the development, said the organisation had received a letter of confirmation from Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi's office "as promised".
Institutional housing subsidies totalling R27,5-million have been allocated to the development of 352 sectional-title flats in the informal settlement near Kommetjie, near Cape Town.
Amakhaya Ngoku, meaning Homes Now, was established in 2006 after a fire destroyed the settlement, displacing more than 1,000 people.
Construction of a three-storey block of 12 flats was to start in September, but more money was needed to cover the shortfall of the R62-million development, due to be completed by October 2009.
Van Dijk said R17-million had already been raised.
He said the green light from government reflected a "sustainable partnership" between public housing agencies, private donors and communities.
The project has, in the past few months, been dogged by controversy after millionaire Lord Irvine Laidlaw threatened to withdraw R5,5-million he had pledged towards the project, after the government failed to meet him officially to discuss the project. But after an 11th hour meeting with Dyantyi in March, Laidlaw reaffirmed his contribution.
Laidlaw has interests in the area as he owns an estate in Noordhoek.
An anonymous donor has also pledged his financial commitment.
Pastor Patrick Diba, Amakhaya Ngoku spokesperson and deputy chairman, said the stamp of approval could not have been more timeous.
"This approval is the culmination of many months of hard work by many people towards the vision of creating homes for over 1,200 people living in appalling conditions," he said.
It was reported previously that the 1,200 residents of School Site, the area where the new development, had been forced to share 40 toilets.
Diba said the approval gave real hope to other communities, who, if organised properly, could assist housing authorities in alleviating the housing backlog in Cape Town.
- Cape Argus
Lutz van Dijk, board member of NGO Amakhaya Ngoku, which initiated the development, said the organisation had received a letter of confirmation from Housing MEC Richard Dyantyi's office "as promised".
Institutional housing subsidies totalling R27,5-million have been allocated to the development of 352 sectional-title flats in the informal settlement near Kommetjie, near Cape Town.
Amakhaya Ngoku, meaning Homes Now, was established in 2006 after a fire destroyed the settlement, displacing more than 1,000 people.
Construction of a three-storey block of 12 flats was to start in September, but more money was needed to cover the shortfall of the R62-million development, due to be completed by October 2009.
Van Dijk said R17-million had already been raised.
He said the green light from government reflected a "sustainable partnership" between public housing agencies, private donors and communities.
The project has, in the past few months, been dogged by controversy after millionaire Lord Irvine Laidlaw threatened to withdraw R5,5-million he had pledged towards the project, after the government failed to meet him officially to discuss the project. But after an 11th hour meeting with Dyantyi in March, Laidlaw reaffirmed his contribution.
Laidlaw has interests in the area as he owns an estate in Noordhoek.
An anonymous donor has also pledged his financial commitment.
Pastor Patrick Diba, Amakhaya Ngoku spokesperson and deputy chairman, said the stamp of approval could not have been more timeous.
"This approval is the culmination of many months of hard work by many people towards the vision of creating homes for over 1,200 people living in appalling conditions," he said.
It was reported previously that the 1,200 residents of School Site, the area where the new development, had been forced to share 40 toilets.
Diba said the approval gave real hope to other communities, who, if organised properly, could assist housing authorities in alleviating the housing backlog in Cape Town.
- Cape Argus
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Housing agency in shambles
According to its financial statements for the previous financial year Thubelisha Homes is "technically insolvent", but it will continue with projects such as the N2 Gateway in the short term.
The Housing Development Agency will soon take over the Thubelisha's responsibilities, including the N2 Gateway.
The agency - a merging of Thubelisha Homes and Servcon - was announced last year by Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu. It will have the job of finding suitable land for housing and management staff.
National housing spokesperson Xolani Xundu said Thubelisha Homes would continue with its work until the agency was launched, probably in August.
Thubelisha presented its dismal performance review to Parliament's portfolio committee last month. The presentation revealed that not a single target had been achieved.
Prince Xhanti Sigcawu of Thubelisha admitted the shortcomings of the company, but said the ineffective working relationship between the three spheres of the government was partly to blame.
"The reality of the matter is we did not deliver the mandate we had set for ourselves. And you cannot point fingers at Thubelisha Homes about that.
"The spheres of government contributed to that by not working together as initially agreed upon."
Sigcawu said when Thubelisha Homes presented its financial statements to Parliament it did not highlight "the monies still owed by the City of Cape Town" - said to be about R160-million - which would help its financial situation. Sigcawu said the company had formally claimed the money from the city, with the necessary supporting documents.
"Circumstances forced us to pay contractors from our own coffers and that led to the state of our finances," Sigcawu said.
But the city countered in a statement: "Thubelisha Homes consistently failed to provide the necessary documentation that would allow the city to legally pay it for work done in terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act.
"The city currently has R60-million in a discretionary fund that it has been waiting to pay Thubelisha, but which it cannot because Thubelisha has not carried out its contractual obligations."
The Housing Development Agency will soon take over the Thubelisha's responsibilities, including the N2 Gateway.
The agency - a merging of Thubelisha Homes and Servcon - was announced last year by Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu. It will have the job of finding suitable land for housing and management staff.
National housing spokesperson Xolani Xundu said Thubelisha Homes would continue with its work until the agency was launched, probably in August.
Thubelisha presented its dismal performance review to Parliament's portfolio committee last month. The presentation revealed that not a single target had been achieved.
Prince Xhanti Sigcawu of Thubelisha admitted the shortcomings of the company, but said the ineffective working relationship between the three spheres of the government was partly to blame.
"The reality of the matter is we did not deliver the mandate we had set for ourselves. And you cannot point fingers at Thubelisha Homes about that.
"The spheres of government contributed to that by not working together as initially agreed upon."
Sigcawu said when Thubelisha Homes presented its financial statements to Parliament it did not highlight "the monies still owed by the City of Cape Town" - said to be about R160-million - which would help its financial situation. Sigcawu said the company had formally claimed the money from the city, with the necessary supporting documents.
"Circumstances forced us to pay contractors from our own coffers and that led to the state of our finances," Sigcawu said.
But the city countered in a statement: "Thubelisha Homes consistently failed to provide the necessary documentation that would allow the city to legally pay it for work done in terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act.
"The city currently has R60-million in a discretionary fund that it has been waiting to pay Thubelisha, but which it cannot because Thubelisha has not carried out its contractual obligations."
Thubelisha's presentation to the portfolio committee revealed the company had targeted a profit of R49,5-million and instead made a loss of R67,5-million. The company had handed over only 2,889 of the 5,422 built houses. Its target had been to hand over 16,290 houses.
- Cape Argus
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Composites examined for potential use in aircraft interiors
State research and development organisation the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is currently conducting a project to develop natural fibre- reinforced composites for potential use in the interiors of aircrafts.
The project follows South Africa’s resurgence in the global automotive industry and the interest of leading players in the aerospace industries for sourcing natural fibre reinforced composite products and technology from the country.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) awarded the project to the CSIR’s materials science and manufacturing unit, in partnership with Airbus.
The project operates under the DST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS) programme, and aims to fulfil the need for demanding technical applications in structural and exterior components of aircrafts.
The project is divided into two phases and will be conducted over a three-year period. Phase one started in March 2008 and will continue for another 16 months. Phase two will be executed over 18 months, following the completion of phase one.
CSIR materials science and manufacturing chief researcher
Dr Rajesh Anandjiwala says that natural fibre composites are regarded as a substitute for traditional materials and may hold the key to successfully tackling some of the challenges facing the automotive and aerospace industries in the context of the end-of-life of vehicle laws and the European Union’s clean-sky initiative.
Natural fibre reinforced composites have witnessed considerable growth in the last decade. “This can be attributed to their unique properties,” says Anandjiwala. He explains that these materials have potential weight-saving and thermal recycling advantages as well as a lower raw material price. The materials also hold ecological advantages, as they are renewable resources.
Anandjiwala says that the most important of the natural fibres used in composite materials are flax, hemp, jute, kenaf and sisal. These are readily available and offer good performance-to-price ratio.
Anandjiwala comments that flax, hemp, jute and kenaf are bast fibres, or fibrous materials, from within the bast of the plant. He adds that these fibres have more or less similar morphologies and can have similar functions in the composite industry.
These fibres are composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and some lignin and are sometimes called lignocellulosic fibres. As a result, many nonstructural components for the automotive and other sectors are now made from natural fibre composite materials. These materials are largely based on poly- propylene, polyester and polyamide matrices incorporating natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, jute and kenaf, into the mix.
“However, the current applications of natural fibre reinforced composites are somewhat limited to nonstructural automotive components, partly because of the low impact properties and poor moisture resistance,” he says.
A reinforced team
Anandjiwala works closely with three postdoctorate researchers and other researchers on the natural fibre reinforced composite project. The researchers are currently involved in research pertaining to reinforced natural fibres.
Dr Paul Wambua is closely involved in the development of natural fibre composites for use in the nonstructural components of aircraft as well as the use of these fibres in the automotive industry. His postdoctoral research work focuses on manu- facturing and mechanical testing of the blast response and low-velocity impact on natural fibre and hybrid composites.
The aims of this research are to investigate the fibre’s impact energy absorption properties and the failure mechanisms of woven natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites and their hybrids.
Fibre reinforced composites are processed by compression moulding using different combinations of woven fabric layers of natural, glass and carbon fibres.
Tests are carried out to determine the energy absorption, crack development and other failures of the natural fibre composites after low velocity impact and explosive blast impact. The effect of hybridisation is also investigated.
In addition to this research, Dr Maya John, with a polymer chemistry background, focuses on the chemical modification of natural fibres like flax, hemp and sisal through suitable compatibilisers and biological coupling agents. The influence of processing conditions on the physical and chemical characteristics of natural fibres is also researched.
John is also involved in the fabrication of composites from needle-punched nonwoven fibres such as flax and kenaf, and thermoplastics by compression moulding.
Meanwhile, Dr Asis Patnaik is involved in mathematical modelling and computer-aided simulations, which are used to monitor and predict the characteristics of the materials under different stresses and situations. This aims to develop computer-based models for different physical phenomena involved in the actual applications of textile materials.
Anandjiwala says that the fundamental work proposed here for flexible fibrous assemblies would benefit the cross-fertilisation of scientific disciplines, such as mechanics of reinforced composite structures and mechanics of bio- medical devices.
Patnaik is also active in the development of computer-driven theoretical models to predict mechanical properties of natural fibre-reinforced composites by using finite element analysis. These models will be incorporated into the analysis of real-life problems through component modelling to predict the failure mechanism of computer-aided designs for the aerospace industry.
- Engineering News
The project follows South Africa’s resurgence in the global automotive industry and the interest of leading players in the aerospace industries for sourcing natural fibre reinforced composite products and technology from the country.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) awarded the project to the CSIR’s materials science and manufacturing unit, in partnership with Airbus.
The project operates under the DST’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategy (AMTS) programme, and aims to fulfil the need for demanding technical applications in structural and exterior components of aircrafts.
The project is divided into two phases and will be conducted over a three-year period. Phase one started in March 2008 and will continue for another 16 months. Phase two will be executed over 18 months, following the completion of phase one.
CSIR materials science and manufacturing chief researcher
Dr Rajesh Anandjiwala says that natural fibre composites are regarded as a substitute for traditional materials and may hold the key to successfully tackling some of the challenges facing the automotive and aerospace industries in the context of the end-of-life of vehicle laws and the European Union’s clean-sky initiative.
Natural fibre reinforced composites have witnessed considerable growth in the last decade. “This can be attributed to their unique properties,” says Anandjiwala. He explains that these materials have potential weight-saving and thermal recycling advantages as well as a lower raw material price. The materials also hold ecological advantages, as they are renewable resources.
Anandjiwala says that the most important of the natural fibres used in composite materials are flax, hemp, jute, kenaf and sisal. These are readily available and offer good performance-to-price ratio.
Anandjiwala comments that flax, hemp, jute and kenaf are bast fibres, or fibrous materials, from within the bast of the plant. He adds that these fibres have more or less similar morphologies and can have similar functions in the composite industry.
These fibres are composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and some lignin and are sometimes called lignocellulosic fibres. As a result, many nonstructural components for the automotive and other sectors are now made from natural fibre composite materials. These materials are largely based on poly- propylene, polyester and polyamide matrices incorporating natural fibres, such as flax, hemp, jute and kenaf, into the mix.
“However, the current applications of natural fibre reinforced composites are somewhat limited to nonstructural automotive components, partly because of the low impact properties and poor moisture resistance,” he says.
A reinforced team
Anandjiwala works closely with three postdoctorate researchers and other researchers on the natural fibre reinforced composite project. The researchers are currently involved in research pertaining to reinforced natural fibres.
Dr Paul Wambua is closely involved in the development of natural fibre composites for use in the nonstructural components of aircraft as well as the use of these fibres in the automotive industry. His postdoctoral research work focuses on manu- facturing and mechanical testing of the blast response and low-velocity impact on natural fibre and hybrid composites.
The aims of this research are to investigate the fibre’s impact energy absorption properties and the failure mechanisms of woven natural fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites and their hybrids.
Fibre reinforced composites are processed by compression moulding using different combinations of woven fabric layers of natural, glass and carbon fibres.
Tests are carried out to determine the energy absorption, crack development and other failures of the natural fibre composites after low velocity impact and explosive blast impact. The effect of hybridisation is also investigated.
In addition to this research, Dr Maya John, with a polymer chemistry background, focuses on the chemical modification of natural fibres like flax, hemp and sisal through suitable compatibilisers and biological coupling agents. The influence of processing conditions on the physical and chemical characteristics of natural fibres is also researched.
John is also involved in the fabrication of composites from needle-punched nonwoven fibres such as flax and kenaf, and thermoplastics by compression moulding.
Meanwhile, Dr Asis Patnaik is involved in mathematical modelling and computer-aided simulations, which are used to monitor and predict the characteristics of the materials under different stresses and situations. This aims to develop computer-based models for different physical phenomena involved in the actual applications of textile materials.
Anandjiwala says that the fundamental work proposed here for flexible fibrous assemblies would benefit the cross-fertilisation of scientific disciplines, such as mechanics of reinforced composite structures and mechanics of bio- medical devices.
Patnaik is also active in the development of computer-driven theoretical models to predict mechanical properties of natural fibre-reinforced composites by using finite element analysis. These models will be incorporated into the analysis of real-life problems through component modelling to predict the failure mechanism of computer-aided designs for the aerospace industry.
- Engineering News
Friday, June 6, 2008
Kick the CO2 habit for World Environment Day - Cannabrick C02 Credits
Demonstrated outside the Department of Housing- Plant a cannabis seed. Water and allow the plant to grow and produce seed. Plant and water these seeds. Your goal is to grow enough to build a house, you will need about 1 acre to build a 5 roomed home.
Tyala imbewu ntsangu (ye-cannabis). Nkcenkceshela imbewu uze uyinike ithuba lokuba ikhule ide ikhuphe eyayo imbewu. Uyothi ke uyityale nalembewu uyinkcenkceshele njalo. Injongo yakho kukukhulisa izityalo ezothi zonele ekwakheni indlu, uyakudinga i-acre (malunga nentsimi) enye ukuze wakhe indlu enamagumbi amahlanu. - Consider the many relevant points presented in the guidelines of Build your house step-by-step.
Qwalasela yonke imigaqo oyibekelweyo kwincwadana i-Build Your House Step By Step.
The Eastern Cape Government has developed a document titled:
“A Basic Guide to Quality Housing Development”
It is available here. - Start planning where your house will stand. Consider everything about the environment you’ll be building in, like winter and summer sunshine, wind and rain – you don’t want to build on a floodplain, or your house will wash away. Be sure to plan all your water and waste requirements.
Ceba indawo ozokwakha kuyo indlu yakho. Qwalasela yonke into ngomhlaba lo uzokwakha kuwo indlu yakho, izinto ezinje ngemimoya, ilanga, neemvula zehlobo nobusika, akekho umntu ofuna ukwakha indlu yakhe emgxobhozweni okanye apho iyothi ibe lilifa lezikhukhula khona. Uqiniseke ukuba unamanzi akulungeleyo ukwenza oku. - Cut the grown cannabis plants down and leave in the field to rhett for a week. The morning dew and natural rotting process will loosen the fibers from the plant.
a. Process the plant matter by cutting leaves and branches off, then hit small bundles the length of the plant over and upturned rake.
b. The long fiber parts that remain in your hand are good for weaving rugs and making various other items your skills can accomplish.
c. The seed can be gathered for more housing.
d. Gather the small woody bits (the hurd) that have fallen, this waste is what will be used in the construction material.
Sika / sarha izityalo uzibeke egadini ixesha elingangeveki ukuze zibole. Umbethe wasekuseni nezinye izinto zendalo ezibolisayo ziya kuyikhulula I-fibre ezityalweni.
a. Yikhawulezise ngohlukanisa intonga zezityalo namagqabi, uhlale uyiharika rhoqo.
b. Intonga ezi zinothi zincede kwezinye izinto ezifana nokwenza ingubo nezinye izinto onothi uzibonele zona ngokolwazi lwakho.
c. Imbewu inokuqokelelwe ukwakha ezinye izindlu.
d. Qokelela imithana ethe yaziwela njengokuba uzoyisebenzisa xa usakha indlu yakho. - Wash the hurd, dry it, then wash it again. Be careful not to allow the matter to rot or decay during this process, by turning, airing and allowing the African sun to dry the hurd properly. Now combine in proportions 10:2:3:3 combine the cannabis/ntsangu/dagga Hurd(10), washed river sand 0.5mm(2), hydraulic lime(3) and water(3) to make the mulch (This process may need tweaking depending on your geographic location, humidity, rainfall etc)
Hlamba ingqokelela yakho, uyomise, uphinde uyihlambe.Ulumkele ukuba lengqokelela ibole kwelithuba, yiguquguqule, uyivumele ibethwe ngumoya uvumele nelanga lase Afrika liyomise lengqokelela. Dibanisa ngokwalo mgaqo 10:2:3:3, dibanisa ke lemvuno yakho yomgquba wentsangu (10) kunye nesanti yasemlanjeni 0.5mm(2), ikalika (3) kunye namanzi (3) ukwenza udaka (Nale into ke iyokuthi ixhomekeke kwindawo leyo ukuyo nemvula zakhona njalo-njalo). - Now build your house! Ngoku ke yakha indlu yakho!
- Teach others. Fundisa abanye.
You can use this “dagga-cement” for making bricks, shutter casting or the proven “pole-and-dagga” method. This last method allows for a sturdy, warm, fireproof and water proof home – built with pride and intuitive engineering, not a ‘uniform box’.
Be sure to consider all aspects of your house design and structural requirements. Although the cannabis-cement will become stronger than steel in time, it is not advised to build over 2 floors high without considering structural implications. With planning this cement can be used to build up to 4 floors high.
The cannabis-cement will dry over a period of a month (depending on the weather). At this point you will be able to add the roof. Seal your home’s walls with lime; lime external walls annually.
Decorate your house with masonry to make it unique, and paint with coloured lime as per custom.
Always PLANT A TREE in a place that will provide shade, to commemorate this accomplishment.
Council will plant trees if citizens care for them. Call (021) 689-8938 http://www.trees.org.za/
Assist your family, friends or neighbors with your experience and expertise. Share information and technique; you can uplift yourself and your community.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
35 000 displaced refugees in the Cape
There are conflicting estimates of the number of displaced immigrants in the Western Cape - one relief agency says the number now stands at 35,000 while the City of Cape Town says the number is about 12,000.
Last week, the figure was widely estimated and accepted to be about 20,000 but on Wednesday the Mustadafin Foundation, which is working with the city's Disaster Management to assist immigrants, said the aftershock of the attacks had swelled the number to 35,000.
The foundation said it was feeding 13,850 of the displaced 35,000 immigrants, including one of the largest refugee camps, Soetwater.
"As the crisis continues ... conditions in the various refugee sites are becoming more and more unbearable.
"Furthermore, with no idea of the future or futures of their children, the refugees are becoming increasingly restless, calling on the UN for support," the organisation said yesterday.
Disaster Management's Wilfred Solomons said the 35 000 figure was incorrect, but in fact the number had dropped to about 12 000 as most of the immigrants had left the camps, reintegrated into communities and were "going to work".
According to statistics supplied by Disaster Management, safety sites such as Soetwater were at full capacity, housing close to 4,000 immigrants, while Blue Waters was accommodating nearly 200.
Youngsfield military base had almost reached its 1,500 carrying capacity and Harmony Park had reached its 2,000 capacity.
The city said Citrusdal farmers had offered employment and accommodation to some of the refugees.
On Wednesday, The Cape Argus reported that immigrants accommodated in temporary shelters have until next month to go back to their countries or return to their local homes.
They would be "temporarily exempt" from deportation, said Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
She also proposed a review of the current immigration laws to provide for "special dispensations" for immigrants, saying it was a waste of resources to deport them because they always returned.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe was arranging for about 2,500 of its citizens to be repatriated, its state media said on Wednesday.
About 50,000 migrants have left South Africa, with the bulk crossing into neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Some refused to go back to their communities in South Africa out of fear.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said there had been no fresh attacks since shortly after soldiers were sent into the townships, though he added that President Thabo Mbeki might extend the army's deployment when it expired this weekend. - Cape Argus
Last week, the figure was widely estimated and accepted to be about 20,000 but on Wednesday the Mustadafin Foundation, which is working with the city's Disaster Management to assist immigrants, said the aftershock of the attacks had swelled the number to 35,000.
The foundation said it was feeding 13,850 of the displaced 35,000 immigrants, including one of the largest refugee camps, Soetwater.
"As the crisis continues ... conditions in the various refugee sites are becoming more and more unbearable.
"Furthermore, with no idea of the future or futures of their children, the refugees are becoming increasingly restless, calling on the UN for support," the organisation said yesterday.
Disaster Management's Wilfred Solomons said the 35 000 figure was incorrect, but in fact the number had dropped to about 12 000 as most of the immigrants had left the camps, reintegrated into communities and were "going to work".
According to statistics supplied by Disaster Management, safety sites such as Soetwater were at full capacity, housing close to 4,000 immigrants, while Blue Waters was accommodating nearly 200.
Youngsfield military base had almost reached its 1,500 carrying capacity and Harmony Park had reached its 2,000 capacity.
The city said Citrusdal farmers had offered employment and accommodation to some of the refugees.
On Wednesday, The Cape Argus reported that immigrants accommodated in temporary shelters have until next month to go back to their countries or return to their local homes.
They would be "temporarily exempt" from deportation, said Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
She also proposed a review of the current immigration laws to provide for "special dispensations" for immigrants, saying it was a waste of resources to deport them because they always returned.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe was arranging for about 2,500 of its citizens to be repatriated, its state media said on Wednesday.
About 50,000 migrants have left South Africa, with the bulk crossing into neighbouring Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Some refused to go back to their communities in South Africa out of fear.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said there had been no fresh attacks since shortly after soldiers were sent into the townships, though he added that President Thabo Mbeki might extend the army's deployment when it expired this weekend. - Cape Argus
UN representitives see Soetwater groups
Refugees at the Soetwater safety camp met UN representatives after calls for the world body’s intervention earlier this week.
Representatives from various groups based at the camp held a press conference at the His Kingdom Baptist Centre in Kommetjie on Wednesday and met UN representatives afterwards.
The delegates representing groups from Somalia, Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Burundi, insisted on urgent UN intervention a call echoed by groups in camps across the city, who held a press conference on Monday.
The displaced people called on the UN to step in and take
control, and have them moved back to their home countries or to a different country.
Ethiopia's Israel Abate said today: "We never said we wanted to go to the USA or Canada, but we would like to go anywhere where we would be welcomed and our rights are upheld."
He said a UN representative had handed out questionnaires to gauge the conditions at the camp.
Thousands of refugees have been staying at six emergency camps across the province since they fled their communities following xenophobic attacks two weeks ago.
Refugee Serge Bami Samba said yesterday that conditions at the Soetwater camp were deteriorating. He said they had had reports of 85 men suffering from diarrhoea.
"We believe the South African government cannot
control the situation. The UN and only the UN has enough
skills to control this situation," he said.
Samba said they had no freedom of movement, had to tag their belongings and had no money for transport. He said they were also worried about the safety of their women and children, particularly at night, as the women were separated from the men.
The group reiterated that not everyone wanted to be reintegrated as the government had planned.
Fatima Omar, who represents Somalis at Soetwater, said she had been living in South Africa for five years, but she "would rather die in her own country than die in this country."
She said despite problems back home, she would rather return there. - Cape Argus
Representatives from various groups based at the camp held a press conference at the His Kingdom Baptist Centre in Kommetjie on Wednesday and met UN representatives afterwards.
The delegates representing groups from Somalia, Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Burundi, insisted on urgent UN intervention a call echoed by groups in camps across the city, who held a press conference on Monday.
The displaced people called on the UN to step in and take
control, and have them moved back to their home countries or to a different country.
Ethiopia's Israel Abate said today: "We never said we wanted to go to the USA or Canada, but we would like to go anywhere where we would be welcomed and our rights are upheld."
He said a UN representative had handed out questionnaires to gauge the conditions at the camp.
Thousands of refugees have been staying at six emergency camps across the province since they fled their communities following xenophobic attacks two weeks ago.
Refugee Serge Bami Samba said yesterday that conditions at the Soetwater camp were deteriorating. He said they had had reports of 85 men suffering from diarrhoea.
"We believe the South African government cannot
control the situation. The UN and only the UN has enough
skills to control this situation," he said.
Samba said they had no freedom of movement, had to tag their belongings and had no money for transport. He said they were also worried about the safety of their women and children, particularly at night, as the women were separated from the men.
The group reiterated that not everyone wanted to be reintegrated as the government had planned.
Fatima Omar, who represents Somalis at Soetwater, said she had been living in South Africa for five years, but she "would rather die in her own country than die in this country."
She said despite problems back home, she would rather return there. - Cape Argus
Death threats to foreigners
Somalians who reopened their shops in Zwelihle on Monday after a week's absence were shocked when they were greeted by handwritten notes in Xhosa on Tuesday morning warning them to leave the township by 12:00 on Wednesday or be killed.
The notes were apparently pushed under the doors of the shops on Monday night or handed over to South African landlords of the Somalians.
The Hermanus Times discovered the notes when visiting the Somalian shops on Tuesday and immediately alerted the Overstrand municipality's housing manager, Bobby von Düring who in turn alerted the police and the Overstrand emergency services.
Hermanus police station commissioner Phumzile Cetyana then deployed police in the township while re-inforcements from the municipality's law and order department, traffic officers and security company ADT were put on high alert.
One of the community leaders Archie Klaas who was with the Hermanus Times when the notes were discovered, said that the Zwelihle Bambanani neighbourhood watch also patrol the streets throughout the night.
An emergency meeting was called between community leaders, the premier of the Western Cape's office and the police to discuss the situation. At midnight pamphlets were distributed in which commmunity leaders distanced themselves from the death threats and criminal acts and warn the perpetrators that they “will be rooted out of our society”.
Apparently the problem originated on the Sandbaai side of Zwelihle that is home to mainly new arrivals from the Eastern Cape who have not been longer in the township than two years and of whom many are known as trouble makers.
Meanwhile 11 people appeared in the Hermanus magistrate court on Monday on charges of public violence linked to xenophobic attacks in Zwelihle last week. Eight of the suspects were kept in custody while three under-aged suspects were put in the care of their parents.
Another four suspects who appeared in court on Monday last week on charges of theft and housebreaking linked to the xenophobic attacks were denied bail and therefore remain in custody.
One of the leaders of the foreigners in Zwelihle, Somalian Abdul Rashid Amat, said that most of the Zimbabweans and all the Angolans in Zwelihle have left.
An unknown Kenian woman had apparently helped a group of foreigners, mostly from Malawi and Angola, to go back to their countries of origin.
While most of the foreigners who sought shelter in the community hall in Zwelihle at the height of the xenophobic attacks on the foreigners last weekend, have returned to their homes, a small group stayed at the mosque in Mt Pleasant because they were afraid to go back to their vandalised homes.
One Somalian woman, Deka Abdi called the Hermanus Times on Friday night and reported that somebody threw paraffin on a mattress through a broken window in her living room on Thursday night and set it alight. The police were informed about the incident and she and her family returned to the mosque.
They left for Cape Town on Sunday and are now staying with relatives in Bellville.
Yusuf Moos of the Hermanus Islamic Society said they received blankets, groceries and bags full of new baby clothes from two Muslim charity organisations in Cape Town that they have distributed among the affected Somalians in Zwelihle.
He said there were still some goods left and wants to appeal to foreigners who have been affected by the attacks to get in contact with him.
The Hermanus Times informed the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations in Pretoria last Wednesday already that there were asylum seekers in Zwelihle who wanted to go back to their countries of origin but by Tuesday this week, no reply had been received.
A group of South Africans in Zwelihe have been working hard to restore vandalised homes of foreigners with the help of the Overstrand municipality who have donated doors and other material. Burglar bars have also been re-installed in some of the homes.
On Tuesday afternoon however, Hermanus Times visited a shop and attached home of one of the foreigners that is still deserted.
The gaping door openings and debris on the floors of the residence that has been stripped of all belongings is the only evidence of the spree of greed and violence that shattered Zwelihle last week. Even the electrical wires have been ripped out of the walls. - Hermanus Times
The notes were apparently pushed under the doors of the shops on Monday night or handed over to South African landlords of the Somalians.
The Hermanus Times discovered the notes when visiting the Somalian shops on Tuesday and immediately alerted the Overstrand municipality's housing manager, Bobby von Düring who in turn alerted the police and the Overstrand emergency services.
Hermanus police station commissioner Phumzile Cetyana then deployed police in the township while re-inforcements from the municipality's law and order department, traffic officers and security company ADT were put on high alert.
One of the community leaders Archie Klaas who was with the Hermanus Times when the notes were discovered, said that the Zwelihle Bambanani neighbourhood watch also patrol the streets throughout the night.
An emergency meeting was called between community leaders, the premier of the Western Cape's office and the police to discuss the situation. At midnight pamphlets were distributed in which commmunity leaders distanced themselves from the death threats and criminal acts and warn the perpetrators that they “will be rooted out of our society”.
Apparently the problem originated on the Sandbaai side of Zwelihle that is home to mainly new arrivals from the Eastern Cape who have not been longer in the township than two years and of whom many are known as trouble makers.
Meanwhile 11 people appeared in the Hermanus magistrate court on Monday on charges of public violence linked to xenophobic attacks in Zwelihle last week. Eight of the suspects were kept in custody while three under-aged suspects were put in the care of their parents.
Another four suspects who appeared in court on Monday last week on charges of theft and housebreaking linked to the xenophobic attacks were denied bail and therefore remain in custody.
One of the leaders of the foreigners in Zwelihle, Somalian Abdul Rashid Amat, said that most of the Zimbabweans and all the Angolans in Zwelihle have left.
An unknown Kenian woman had apparently helped a group of foreigners, mostly from Malawi and Angola, to go back to their countries of origin.
While most of the foreigners who sought shelter in the community hall in Zwelihle at the height of the xenophobic attacks on the foreigners last weekend, have returned to their homes, a small group stayed at the mosque in Mt Pleasant because they were afraid to go back to their vandalised homes.
One Somalian woman, Deka Abdi called the Hermanus Times on Friday night and reported that somebody threw paraffin on a mattress through a broken window in her living room on Thursday night and set it alight. The police were informed about the incident and she and her family returned to the mosque.
They left for Cape Town on Sunday and are now staying with relatives in Bellville.
Yusuf Moos of the Hermanus Islamic Society said they received blankets, groceries and bags full of new baby clothes from two Muslim charity organisations in Cape Town that they have distributed among the affected Somalians in Zwelihle.
He said there were still some goods left and wants to appeal to foreigners who have been affected by the attacks to get in contact with him.
The Hermanus Times informed the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations in Pretoria last Wednesday already that there were asylum seekers in Zwelihle who wanted to go back to their countries of origin but by Tuesday this week, no reply had been received.
A group of South Africans in Zwelihe have been working hard to restore vandalised homes of foreigners with the help of the Overstrand municipality who have donated doors and other material. Burglar bars have also been re-installed in some of the homes.
On Tuesday afternoon however, Hermanus Times visited a shop and attached home of one of the foreigners that is still deserted.
The gaping door openings and debris on the floors of the residence that has been stripped of all belongings is the only evidence of the spree of greed and violence that shattered Zwelihle last week. Even the electrical wires have been ripped out of the walls. - Hermanus Times
Water And Sanitation Undermines Health Efforts
South African health officials have failed to advocate for more free water while efforts to improve sanitation have been undermined by lack of funds, resulting in high levels of disease and mortality mainly among the poor.
This is according to Professor David Sanders, head of the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape and one of the world's public health leading experts.
Sanders said that the health department had been notably silent in raising any of these issues, even when the past cholera epidemic or the current food security crisis provided the opportunity.
Municipal environmental health officers that were supposed to facilitate the improvement of conditions were "inappropriate" and had been trained to "inspect restaurants in middle-class" suburbs, he added.
Speaking at this week's Public Health Association conference in Cape Town, Sanders revealed that almost one out of three (30%) residents in Khayelitsha did not have easy access to water while 80 percent live in shacks.
There is an average of 105 people per toilet in Site B and C in Khayelitsha, or one toilet per seven households where toilets have been provided.
A total of 14 521 households do not have access to water while the sanitation backlog is around 29 811 households.
Sanders showed that the country's health spending as a percentage of GDP had declined over the years and was set to continue this trend.
South Africa fares dismally when comparing health indicators to other middle and low income countries. In 2002 South Africa had a GDP per capita of U$10 070. Cuba's was much lower at U$5 259, Brazil U$7 770, Thailand U$7 010 and China U$4 580.
South Africa's expenditure on public health (as a percentage of GDP) was 3,6% in 2001, compared to 6,2% in Cuba and 3,2% in Brazil.
However, all these countries were getting better health returns on their investments. In 2002 98% of Cuban one-year-olds were fully immunized against Measles. In Brazil it was 93% and in Thailand 94%. At the same time South Africa had immunized 78% of its toddlers.
At birth, a baby in Cuba can expect to live to the healthy age of 76. In Brazil, life expectancy is 68 years, in Thailand 69 years and China 71 years. However, in South Africa it is a mere 47 years. In the other countries life expectancy had increased significantly since the seventies, but in South Africa it had plunged by six years.
By 2002 South Africa's infant mortality rate was at 52 per 1 000 births. Cuba's rate was 7, Brazil's 30, Thailand's 24 and China's 31 (down from 85 in 1975). South Africa now one of nine countries with an increasing under five mortality rate.
Sanders said health personnel numbers and skills were key in attempting to turn matters around. He revealed that the overall vacancy rate in the public health sector currently stood at 35 percent - 138 657 posts. The lowest vacancy rate was in the North West at 14% while the highest was in the Eastern Cape (47% - over 30 000 posts), Limpopo (45%) and Free State (41%).
In terms of skills, Sanders said senior managers were poorly oriented to public health care. "The health department stresses the 'public health care package' and selected activities in HIV/AIDS and TB programmes without corresponding emphasis on the preventative and promotive aspects such as lifeskills for youth, microcredit for women and advocacy for housing."
Sanders said that even in the best sub-districts such as those in the Western Cape the approach is very selective with emphasis placed on success in antiretroviral therapy and TB programmes but a dismal failure to address sanitation and water.
Human resource development was minimal and that the number of health workers remained totally inadequate in the peripheral areas. - Health-e News Service.
This is according to Professor David Sanders, head of the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape and one of the world's public health leading experts.
Sanders said that the health department had been notably silent in raising any of these issues, even when the past cholera epidemic or the current food security crisis provided the opportunity.
Municipal environmental health officers that were supposed to facilitate the improvement of conditions were "inappropriate" and had been trained to "inspect restaurants in middle-class" suburbs, he added.
Speaking at this week's Public Health Association conference in Cape Town, Sanders revealed that almost one out of three (30%) residents in Khayelitsha did not have easy access to water while 80 percent live in shacks.
There is an average of 105 people per toilet in Site B and C in Khayelitsha, or one toilet per seven households where toilets have been provided.
A total of 14 521 households do not have access to water while the sanitation backlog is around 29 811 households.
Sanders showed that the country's health spending as a percentage of GDP had declined over the years and was set to continue this trend.
South Africa fares dismally when comparing health indicators to other middle and low income countries. In 2002 South Africa had a GDP per capita of U$10 070. Cuba's was much lower at U$5 259, Brazil U$7 770, Thailand U$7 010 and China U$4 580.
South Africa's expenditure on public health (as a percentage of GDP) was 3,6% in 2001, compared to 6,2% in Cuba and 3,2% in Brazil.
However, all these countries were getting better health returns on their investments. In 2002 98% of Cuban one-year-olds were fully immunized against Measles. In Brazil it was 93% and in Thailand 94%. At the same time South Africa had immunized 78% of its toddlers.
At birth, a baby in Cuba can expect to live to the healthy age of 76. In Brazil, life expectancy is 68 years, in Thailand 69 years and China 71 years. However, in South Africa it is a mere 47 years. In the other countries life expectancy had increased significantly since the seventies, but in South Africa it had plunged by six years.
By 2002 South Africa's infant mortality rate was at 52 per 1 000 births. Cuba's rate was 7, Brazil's 30, Thailand's 24 and China's 31 (down from 85 in 1975). South Africa now one of nine countries with an increasing under five mortality rate.
Sanders said health personnel numbers and skills were key in attempting to turn matters around. He revealed that the overall vacancy rate in the public health sector currently stood at 35 percent - 138 657 posts. The lowest vacancy rate was in the North West at 14% while the highest was in the Eastern Cape (47% - over 30 000 posts), Limpopo (45%) and Free State (41%).
In terms of skills, Sanders said senior managers were poorly oriented to public health care. "The health department stresses the 'public health care package' and selected activities in HIV/AIDS and TB programmes without corresponding emphasis on the preventative and promotive aspects such as lifeskills for youth, microcredit for women and advocacy for housing."
Sanders said that even in the best sub-districts such as those in the Western Cape the approach is very selective with emphasis placed on success in antiretroviral therapy and TB programmes but a dismal failure to address sanitation and water.
Human resource development was minimal and that the number of health workers remained totally inadequate in the peripheral areas. - Health-e News Service.
Refugees believe re-integration won't work
Some displaced foreigners staying at Soetwater near Kommetjie in the Western Cape say it could take up to 30 years for it to be safe for them to live in the areas they fled from because they fear locals' hatred is still too strong.
Representatives of Somalians, Ethiopians, Rwandans, Zimbabweans, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Burundians and people from the Democratic Republic of Congo gathered in Sun Valley on Wednesday.
Sergebami Samba-Bamikani, representing refugees from Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya, said the idea of re-integrating foreigners into informal settlements was good but too soon.
"We don't see it as a practical thing; there's no way it will work," he said. "Maybe in 30 years it will work. Maybe it will work for the children of our children but not for us.
"Re-integration is impossible because it will cause us to die."
Israel Abate, representing the Ethiopians at Soetwater, said they no longer trusted South Africans.
"It's not the first time South Africans have mistreated our brothers and sisters from other countries," Abate said. "We are forced off buses and trains. There is discrimination and hatred.
"We've lost trust, friendship and love for South Africa and South Africans. We've even lost the courage to start afresh."
Somalian Fatiema Hosma said she would rather go back to her home country than "die like a dog" in Du Noon, where she had lived.
"We don't want to struggle any more. We don't want people to hurt each other like this but (the locals) say they are going to finish us. We don't accept that the government should send us back into our locations," she said.
Western Cape provincial premier Ebrahim Rasool said on Wednesday there were "many agendas" at work among displaced people. He appealed to people "to remain calm, reasonable and co-operative".
"We are encouraged by the progress in several communities across the province where re-integration has happened," he said. "We appeal to our communities and to foreigners who have been displaced to work together with the province's mediators so re-integration can take place." - Cape Times
Representatives of Somalians, Ethiopians, Rwandans, Zimbabweans, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Burundians and people from the Democratic Republic of Congo gathered in Sun Valley on Wednesday.
Sergebami Samba-Bamikani, representing refugees from Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya, said the idea of re-integrating foreigners into informal settlements was good but too soon.
| 'Maybe it will work for the children of our children' |
"Re-integration is impossible because it will cause us to die."
Israel Abate, representing the Ethiopians at Soetwater, said they no longer trusted South Africans.
"It's not the first time South Africans have mistreated our brothers and sisters from other countries," Abate said. "We are forced off buses and trains. There is discrimination and hatred.
"We've lost trust, friendship and love for South Africa and South Africans. We've even lost the courage to start afresh."
| 'There is discrimination and hatred' |
"We don't want to struggle any more. We don't want people to hurt each other like this but (the locals) say they are going to finish us. We don't accept that the government should send us back into our locations," she said.
Western Cape provincial premier Ebrahim Rasool said on Wednesday there were "many agendas" at work among displaced people. He appealed to people "to remain calm, reasonable and co-operative".
"We are encouraged by the progress in several communities across the province where re-integration has happened," he said. "We appeal to our communities and to foreigners who have been displaced to work together with the province's mediators so re-integration can take place." - Cape Times
Xenophobia: Govt focus on reintegration
Reintegration of displaced xenophobia victims into the communities where they come from is the government's priority, Cabinet ministers and provincial politicians said on Wednesday.
They were speaking in Cape Town at a media briefing on the recent wave of violence against foreign nationals.
"We would not encourage anybody to leave South Africa," Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad said.
He said that where displaced people want to return to their countries of origin, South African authorities will not do anything to stop them, and will help international organisations involved in this process.
However, every effort will be made to reintegrate them into the communities from which they come, and this should be "our principal objective".
This will be pursued humanely, sensitively and with vigour.
Nor is there any question that the foreign nationals will be "ghettoised" in special living areas.
Gauteng minister of local government Dorothy Mahlangu said her provincial executive met on Tuesday and agreed that the tent camps set up for refugees in the Johannesburg area should be gone by the end of July.
For this reason, as the authorities put people into camps, they should simultaneously work on reintegration.
Her department will audit the camps on Monday to find out who is there, and to inform people of the two-month time limit, and that they should work with the authorities to make reintegration happen.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said the presidentially authorised deployment of the defense force to help police areas hit by the violence will end on Saturday.
This does not mean that President Thabo Mbeki might not be asked for another deployment, because police are still investigating cases related to the violence and might have to raid certain areas.
The troops have so far been used to help cordon off hostels targeted for police raids.
Rejecting suggestions that intelligence agencies had failed to predict the violence, he said there had been "a few assessments in the past" indicating tensions in some communities related to foreign nationals and service delivery.
However, the government could not react by simply throwing security forces into those areas to deal with the tensions, or flooding them with service delivery.
What the government had not known was that the tensions would rise to the level they did, or that the violence would erupt on May 11.
In the same way, though United States intelligence agencies had been aware that there were plans to attack the US, they did not know specifically that the September 11 2001 onslaught on the World Trade Centre was going to happen.
Nqakula said a total of 62 people, including nine South Africans, had died in the xenophobia violence, and by Monday, a total of 1 436 people had been arrested. -- Sapa
They were speaking in Cape Town at a media briefing on the recent wave of violence against foreign nationals.
"We would not encourage anybody to leave South Africa," Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad said.
He said that where displaced people want to return to their countries of origin, South African authorities will not do anything to stop them, and will help international organisations involved in this process.
However, every effort will be made to reintegrate them into the communities from which they come, and this should be "our principal objective".
This will be pursued humanely, sensitively and with vigour.
Nor is there any question that the foreign nationals will be "ghettoised" in special living areas.
Gauteng minister of local government Dorothy Mahlangu said her provincial executive met on Tuesday and agreed that the tent camps set up for refugees in the Johannesburg area should be gone by the end of July.
For this reason, as the authorities put people into camps, they should simultaneously work on reintegration.
Her department will audit the camps on Monday to find out who is there, and to inform people of the two-month time limit, and that they should work with the authorities to make reintegration happen.
As to fears that the camps will lead to a mushrooming of shacks, she said: "The answer is a definite no."
Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool said a provincial disaster declaration gazetted on Tuesday will expire after three months.
The provincial government hoped within this time to make a major impact on reintegration, which has already begun in several communities, or on repatriation.
There are over 18,000 refugees at camps and shelters around Cape Town.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said the presidentially authorised deployment of the defense force to help police areas hit by the violence will end on Saturday.
This does not mean that President Thabo Mbeki might not be asked for another deployment, because police are still investigating cases related to the violence and might have to raid certain areas.
The troops have so far been used to help cordon off hostels targeted for police raids.
Rejecting suggestions that intelligence agencies had failed to predict the violence, he said there had been "a few assessments in the past" indicating tensions in some communities related to foreign nationals and service delivery.
However, the government could not react by simply throwing security forces into those areas to deal with the tensions, or flooding them with service delivery.
What the government had not known was that the tensions would rise to the level they did, or that the violence would erupt on May 11.
In the same way, though United States intelligence agencies had been aware that there were plans to attack the US, they did not know specifically that the September 11 2001 onslaught on the World Trade Centre was going to happen.
Nqakula said a total of 62 people, including nine South Africans, had died in the xenophobia violence, and by Monday, a total of 1 436 people had been arrested. -- Sapa
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Migration hits housing delivery
The high rate of urban migration in South Africa is placing ever-increasing pressure on housing delivery, Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Tuesday.
"The strain on the fiscus from migration is phenomenal," she told a parliamentary media briefing a day ahead of debate on her department's budget in the National Assembly.
The resources were not available "to do what we wanted to do".
The housing budget is set to grow to R10,6-billion this year (2008/09) from R9-billion last year. Budget estimates for 2009/10 and 2010/11 are R12,7-billion and R15,3-billion respectively.
Sisulu said urban migration in South Africa was currently about three percent of the population a year, well above the international average of 2,5 percent. This figure represented about 1,2 million people.
The high urban inflow was the reason for the rapid mushrooming of informal settlements around the country's cities and towns.
Although the clearing of informal settlements by 2014 was a government priority, the current budget was sufficient to provide only 266 000 houses, compared to an ever-growing backlog of 2,1 million units.
This figure comprised 1,1 million units to house those currently living in informal settlements, and a further million for so-called "backyard" dwellers.
The increase to this year's housing budget barely met the inflation rate.
"If we have not delivered as fast as some would have wanted us, it is because we simply do not have the money to do that," she said.
A 2006 audit had shown the amount needed to clear the current housing backlog over the next three years (by 2012) was R120-billion.
Sisulu noted South Africans had "run out of patience" when it came to housing delivery.
"I appeal to all who qualify and wait for houses: despite all the problems we face, we are on course within the limited resources at our disposal. I assure them their turn will come," she said. - Sapa
"The strain on the fiscus from migration is phenomenal," she told a parliamentary media briefing a day ahead of debate on her department's budget in the National Assembly.
The resources were not available "to do what we wanted to do".
The housing budget is set to grow to R10,6-billion this year (2008/09) from R9-billion last year. Budget estimates for 2009/10 and 2010/11 are R12,7-billion and R15,3-billion respectively.
Sisulu said urban migration in South Africa was currently about three percent of the population a year, well above the international average of 2,5 percent. This figure represented about 1,2 million people.
The high urban inflow was the reason for the rapid mushrooming of informal settlements around the country's cities and towns.
Although the clearing of informal settlements by 2014 was a government priority, the current budget was sufficient to provide only 266 000 houses, compared to an ever-growing backlog of 2,1 million units.
This figure comprised 1,1 million units to house those currently living in informal settlements, and a further million for so-called "backyard" dwellers.
The increase to this year's housing budget barely met the inflation rate.
"If we have not delivered as fast as some would have wanted us, it is because we simply do not have the money to do that," she said.
A 2006 audit had shown the amount needed to clear the current housing backlog over the next three years (by 2012) was R120-billion.
Sisulu noted South Africans had "run out of patience" when it came to housing delivery.
"I appeal to all who qualify and wait for houses: despite all the problems we face, we are on course within the limited resources at our disposal. I assure them their turn will come," she said. - Sapa
Thubelisha falls silent
THE victory dance of the controversial housing company, Thubelisha Homes after their favourable ruling in the N2 Gateway illegal occupants court case, proved to be shortlived after allegations of the company’s bankruptcy surfaced.
In contrast to the bold outspokeness of Thubelisha Homes in the media over the N2 Gateway saga during the past few months, the company this week evaded TygerBurger’s query into the alleged bankruptcy.
Phone calls to the Thubelisha offices proved useless as the woman answering the phone could not comment or supply the contact numbers of the manager or the media spokesperson to comment on the issue.
Mr Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, Western Cape manager of Thubelisha Homes, did not answer his cellphone.
Die Burger reported earlier this month that Prince denied the bankruptcy and said: “The company is not technically insolvent and just do not have enough funds for the 2008/9 book year.”
Thubelisha Homes, who earlier this year came in the spotlight for obtaining a court order to evict illegal occupants from the N2 Gateway houses in Delft, was contracted by the National Housing Department to build the low income houses.
It was a pilot project approved by Cabinet in 2004 as part of the newly developed human settlement plan and launched by the National Housing Department in 2005.
Thubelisha, who failed to complete the housing target for this project, will now merge with the housing company Servon to form the National Housing Agency.
Thubelisha was originally contracted to build 16 290 houses, of which only 2 889 was completed.
Mr Xolani Xundu, spokesman for the National Housing Department said the project will be taken over by the new Housing Development Agency.
Reasons as to why Thubelisha could not achieve its target, Xundu said: “We must point out that Thubelisha as an implementing agent of government has operated under very difficult circumstances of work stoppages due to political and other forces that slowed the building of the houses.
“Recent actions by the councillor of the DA of inciting communities to occupy incomplete houses in Delft Symphony and the court battles that ensued are but two examples of the very difficult environment faced by Thubelisha.”
The official concerned, DA councillor Mr Frank Martin, is still under disciplinary investigation for allegedly prompting local backyard dwellers to move into the unfinished houses.
Martin said the latest debacle surrounding Thubelisha was an “utmost shame”.
“Their corrupt and sly way of doing business have caught up with them.
“I welcome their bankruptcy, but we will have to wait and see whether the same crooks will not be appointed in the new agency company of the state,” he said.
Xundu further denied allegations that Thubelisha was bankrupt.
“Thubelisha is not bankrupt. What has happened is that in anticipation for its closure in June, it was not allocated the full annual budget to carry out its operational activities,” said Xundu. - TygerBurger
In contrast to the bold outspokeness of Thubelisha Homes in the media over the N2 Gateway saga during the past few months, the company this week evaded TygerBurger’s query into the alleged bankruptcy.
Phone calls to the Thubelisha offices proved useless as the woman answering the phone could not comment or supply the contact numbers of the manager or the media spokesperson to comment on the issue.
Mr Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, Western Cape manager of Thubelisha Homes, did not answer his cellphone.
Die Burger reported earlier this month that Prince denied the bankruptcy and said: “The company is not technically insolvent and just do not have enough funds for the 2008/9 book year.”
Thubelisha Homes, who earlier this year came in the spotlight for obtaining a court order to evict illegal occupants from the N2 Gateway houses in Delft, was contracted by the National Housing Department to build the low income houses.
It was a pilot project approved by Cabinet in 2004 as part of the newly developed human settlement plan and launched by the National Housing Department in 2005.
Thubelisha, who failed to complete the housing target for this project, will now merge with the housing company Servon to form the National Housing Agency.
Thubelisha was originally contracted to build 16 290 houses, of which only 2 889 was completed.
Mr Xolani Xundu, spokesman for the National Housing Department said the project will be taken over by the new Housing Development Agency.
Reasons as to why Thubelisha could not achieve its target, Xundu said: “We must point out that Thubelisha as an implementing agent of government has operated under very difficult circumstances of work stoppages due to political and other forces that slowed the building of the houses.
“Recent actions by the councillor of the DA of inciting communities to occupy incomplete houses in Delft Symphony and the court battles that ensued are but two examples of the very difficult environment faced by Thubelisha.”
The official concerned, DA councillor Mr Frank Martin, is still under disciplinary investigation for allegedly prompting local backyard dwellers to move into the unfinished houses.
Martin said the latest debacle surrounding Thubelisha was an “utmost shame”.
“Their corrupt and sly way of doing business have caught up with them.
“I welcome their bankruptcy, but we will have to wait and see whether the same crooks will not be appointed in the new agency company of the state,” he said.
Xundu further denied allegations that Thubelisha was bankrupt.
“Thubelisha is not bankrupt. What has happened is that in anticipation for its closure in June, it was not allocated the full annual budget to carry out its operational activities,” said Xundu. - TygerBurger
South Africa: Behind the Xenophobic Violence
What was it that led to around 100,000 foreigners being driven from homes in South Africa?
 Camps have been set up for people fleeing the attacks |
One factor could be rising anger at allegations that foreigners have corruptly been given subsidised housing.
At first South Africa's Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils said that some kind of subversive "Third Force" was behind the attacks.
"We are not just seeing spontaneous xenophobic attacks," he said during a tour of the worst affected areas.
"There are many social issues at the root of the problem, but we have reason to believe that there are many other organisations involved in sparking the attacks," he added.
But later he withdrew the accusation, saying: "I accept that we have had a spontaneous outburst of xenophobia here."
So what really caused the attacks?
With the violence having been perpetrated across such vast areas of the country, there is no simple answer.
But one source of tension has been intense competition for the subsidised housing built by the government under its Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP).
The problem with the RDP housing is that although the government now builds over 180,000 units a year, there are never enough.
They are allocated not by municipalities or officials, but by the locally elected councillors.
Bribery and corruption
For a number of years now this has led to allegations that they take bribes in return for housing and this has led to many protests.
In 2005, for example, residents in the town of Musina, close to the border with Zimbabwe, marched on the municipality to protest about the lack of action against certain councillors accused of giving houses to foreigners for money.
 |  We must put a stop to this practice  Gwede Mantashe ANC Secretary General |
Sinkie Makushu, chairman of the Greater Musina Unemployment Forum complained that they had provided ample evidence of corruption, but that no action was taken.
"The police have every bit of information regarding corruption at the municipality, but they keep saying they are still investigating," he said.
The previous year angry residents chased about 50 people out of RDP houses after claims that they were foreigners, who were paying rent or had bought the homes outright from local councillors.
Some of those evicted from the RDP houses produced bank receipts proving they were paying rent of 50 rand ($6.5) or more to some councillors. Other occupants said they had bought the houses for 6,500 rand ($850) each.
'Fertile ground'
Anger at the allocation of housing in return for payments has been seen in several places during the xenophobic attacks carried out over the past two weeks.
People living in Alexandra, on the outskirts of Johannesburg where the violence originated, said foreigners had jumped the low-cost housing allocation lists by paying bribes.
 The government builds 180,000 houses a year but it is not enough |
The housing department in the Gauteng region which surrounds Johannesburg said it had allocated nine houses to foreigners in Alexandra but argued in a report that those people had permanent resident permits.
The opposition Democratic Alliance said the government needed to clarify its housing policy and explain who qualified for state-owned houses.
Since most councillors are members of the African National Congress, it is the party that has been blamed.
The problems were acknowledged by ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe.
"Many people have taken occupation of more than one RDP house and sell their houses instead of living in them. We must put a stop to this practice and expose all who are corrupt," he wrote on the party's website.
A similar point was made by the leader of the ANC's ally, the South African Communist Party.
"Some of our own councillors illegally take bribes and allocate RDP houses to undeserving people who are South African and non-South African citizens," said Blade Nzimande, the SACP's general secretary.
"These corrupt practices create fertile ground for intra-community conflict and xenophobia," he said.
Taking action
The government has attempted to deal with this issue.
Recently the department of housing said that more than 7,000 civil servants have acquired RDP houses illegally.
 The attacks have prompted widespread demonstrations |
"We have 7,363 pending cases of fraudulently acquired RDP houses by government officials throughout the country," says Simphiwe Damane-Mkhosana, head of an anti-corruption unit in the housing department.
"We intend to prosecute all the individuals who benefited."
But the practice has become so widespread that rooting it out is proving difficult.
The resulting tensions have only served to exacerbate differences between South Africans and foreigners living in the so-called Rainbow Nation.Cape rains keep disaster teams alert
Cape Town's Disaster Risk Management remained on high alert on Tuesday after a night of heavy rainfall but said areas prone to flooding had not been badly affected.
Teams had been sent to Kosovo, in Philippi, where last month 500 shacks had been left standing in 15 centimetres of water, but on Tuesday Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for disaster management, said residents there had not needed assistance from the city.
"The metropole was obviously wet but there was no flooding. It wasn't as bad as (last month). We haven't had calls from the public or councillors of areas," she said.
Powell said if the SA Weather Service predicted the approach of a cold front or wet conditions, the relevant city employees would be notified in order to prepare to help residents who might be affected.
Meanwhile, one major accident was reported early on Tuesday and the city's traffic spokesperson, Merle Lourens, said the wet conditions may have played a role in it.
Seven people were slightly injured when a bus crashed into a taxi on Vanguard Drive near Heideveld. Lourens said police were investigating. No other incidents had been reported.
The weather service predicted a maximum temperature of 18°C for today with slight morning showers. - Cape Times
Teams had been sent to Kosovo, in Philippi, where last month 500 shacks had been left standing in 15 centimetres of water, but on Tuesday Charlotte Powell, spokesperson for disaster management, said residents there had not needed assistance from the city.
"The metropole was obviously wet but there was no flooding. It wasn't as bad as (last month). We haven't had calls from the public or councillors of areas," she said.
Powell said if the SA Weather Service predicted the approach of a cold front or wet conditions, the relevant city employees would be notified in order to prepare to help residents who might be affected.
Meanwhile, one major accident was reported early on Tuesday and the city's traffic spokesperson, Merle Lourens, said the wet conditions may have played a role in it.
Seven people were slightly injured when a bus crashed into a taxi on Vanguard Drive near Heideveld. Lourens said police were investigating. No other incidents had been reported.
The weather service predicted a maximum temperature of 18°C for today with slight morning showers. - Cape Times
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