Commission blamed for District 6 delay

The redevelopment of District Six has suffered another setback, with the long-awaited business plan for the area - which was expected in June - now to be completed only in 2010.

And a pilot project of 114 houses has now been reduced to just 65 houses, thanks to a R22-million funding shortfall.

With the project beset by delays over the years, the City of Cape Town has now placed the blame for the latest delay squarely at the door of the Land Claims Commission, accusing it of not having the capacity and expertise to handle a project of this kind.

The business plan must be based on a development framework spelling out the spatial design of the area - the portions which would be used for residential, commercial and other uses.

But a report submitted to the council's housing committee yesterday said the Land Claims Commission had not appointed the necessary consultants to complete the development framework, and had regularly missed task team meetings.

Progress in compiling a business plan had also stalled because a socio-economic survey of the claimants' profiles had not been done either.

There had also been no progress on drafting special legislation for District Six.

City manager for land restitution Pogiso Molapo told the council committee that a business plan would not be complete until the new year.

He said the project had been dogged by delays because of infighting among the parties involved, and court battles waged by beneficiaries against the city's plans for appointing consultants to develop a business plan.

"It is very clear the Land Claims Commission doesn't have the capacity to drive a project of this magnitude. It doesn't have hard skills in terms of engineers and project managers," Molapo said.

City officials blamed the commission for failing to take the lead in the project, and for regularly cancelling meetings.

But Land Claims Commissioner Beverley Jansen hit back, saying the allegations were false and that these had not previously been raised with her by the city.

She said the commission would not be able to fund a billion-rand project of this nature, and that the delays were the result of politicking.

The project required a collaborative effort between different spheres of government.

Jansen said delays in the development of a business plan were because "along the way some work fell behind", and the commission was now playing catch-up.

"It's a complicated project fraught with politics. Our job is to settle the claim, bring the partners together and mediate," she said.

The council's committee heard that a meeting was being scheduled between Premier Helen Zille and mayor Dan Plato for later this week to discuss the latest problems.

Housing committee chairman Neil Ross said the situation was most unsatisfactory.

"I'm appalled by the delays, that have not been caused by the council. All we can do is throw up our hands in horror," he said.

The DA's Claude Ipser said the Land Claims Commission lacked responsibility for the project, and that it was "demoralising, disappointing and disgusting" that after all this time there was nothing to show for the project.

- Cape Argus