Hangberg residents are illegally building homes on the lower slopes of the Sentinel, putting them on a collision course with city authorities and the Hout Bay Residents' Association.
The Sentinel forms part of Table Mountain, which is a World Heritage Site.
Association chairman Len Swimmer says the matter has been reported to the City of Cape Town and the police, but claims that no action has been taken since the buildings were spotted "a few months ago".
Aerial photographs of the site, paid for by the association, showed that about 40 wood and corrugated iron homes had been built and that about 30 plots had been cleared, Swimmer said.
The houses are being built on a fire break.
"We were contacted by concerned Hangberg residents and reported the land invasion and illegal occupation to the ward councillor, the city and police but all they said was that they were dealing with it," he said.
The city told the Cape Argus it was aware of the construction and was taking the matter "extremely seriously".
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato, representatives from the SA National Parks (SANParks) and provincial government officials were to have met late on Tuesday to discuss the new settlement.
Swimmer said any development on the Sentinel's slopes jeopardised its status as a heritage site.
One section of the mountain is owned by SANParks, another by the City of Cape Town, while the rest is privately owned.
Last year the privately owned section of the Sentinel was put up for auction, a move which enraged Hangberg residents and forced the cancellation of the public auction.
Residents staged a protest at the scene of the planned auction and the police were called in to disperse the crowd.
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) manager Paddy Gordon explained: "If you picture a triangle, then the top of the triangle is the Sentinel and some of the base is city and SANParks-owned land.
"We bought a section of it with the intention to purchase all of the privately owned land at a later stage but that purchase plan is being threatened by the land invasion."
The aim was to ensure that the Sentinel as a whole would fall under the authority of SANParks, allowing it to be conserved and protected, he said.
"But at this stage, with these developments (the illegally erected buildings), it won't be a part of the national parks and will not have protection."
He said that at least six structures had been erected on SANParks-owned land, but that the bulk of the problem was on land owned by the city.
Ward councillor Marga Haywood confirmed that the residents' association had contacted her about the issue.
"We contacted the city's anti-land invasion unit, who asked for support from the police to inspect the claims because, last year sometime, an official attached to the unit was shot in his hand by angry residents," Haywood said.
City officials had, however, been told that crime statistics in the area were down and, as a result, the police said they would not intervene, she claimed, adding that she had e-mails to confirm the police's response.
The 56-member anti-land invasion unit is not armed. Its members carry out evictions on behalf of the City of Cape Town.
Haywood said provincial police had later agreed to help formulate a plan to deal with the problem.
"We understand that there is a housing need but there is also a due process that needs to be followed - there is a housing waiting list that people can register on to obtain safely built homes in a legal manner," Haywood said.
She said about 25,000 people lives in Hangberg.
At the foot of the mountain on Tuesday, Alfred Abbot was digging trenches for his new home.
A network of electricity cables ran from the the new houses to formal homes nearby.
Abbot said he knew he was building an illegal home and that he could be forcefully removed at any time.
But he was defiant.
"If the cops come, I'll ask them if they want to live with their mothers forever," he said.
Abbott said he lived in a one-bedroomed council-owned house in Hangberg with his mother and four siblings, along with four children all under the age of nine.
City spokesperson Kylie Hatton said the city was aware of the situation and was "taking it extremely seriously" in light of the health and fire hazards linked to the new infrastructure.
Hatton said the council had not given residents permission to build on the mountain.
- Cape Argus
The Sentinel forms part of Table Mountain, which is a World Heritage Site.
Association chairman Len Swimmer says the matter has been reported to the City of Cape Town and the police, but claims that no action has been taken since the buildings were spotted "a few months ago".
Aerial photographs of the site, paid for by the association, showed that about 40 wood and corrugated iron homes had been built and that about 30 plots had been cleared, Swimmer said.
The houses are being built on a fire break.
"We were contacted by concerned Hangberg residents and reported the land invasion and illegal occupation to the ward councillor, the city and police but all they said was that they were dealing with it," he said.
The city told the Cape Argus it was aware of the construction and was taking the matter "extremely seriously".
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato, representatives from the SA National Parks (SANParks) and provincial government officials were to have met late on Tuesday to discuss the new settlement.
Swimmer said any development on the Sentinel's slopes jeopardised its status as a heritage site.
One section of the mountain is owned by SANParks, another by the City of Cape Town, while the rest is privately owned.
Last year the privately owned section of the Sentinel was put up for auction, a move which enraged Hangberg residents and forced the cancellation of the public auction.
Residents staged a protest at the scene of the planned auction and the police were called in to disperse the crowd.
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) manager Paddy Gordon explained: "If you picture a triangle, then the top of the triangle is the Sentinel and some of the base is city and SANParks-owned land.
"We bought a section of it with the intention to purchase all of the privately owned land at a later stage but that purchase plan is being threatened by the land invasion."
The aim was to ensure that the Sentinel as a whole would fall under the authority of SANParks, allowing it to be conserved and protected, he said.
"But at this stage, with these developments (the illegally erected buildings), it won't be a part of the national parks and will not have protection."
He said that at least six structures had been erected on SANParks-owned land, but that the bulk of the problem was on land owned by the city.
Ward councillor Marga Haywood confirmed that the residents' association had contacted her about the issue.
"We contacted the city's anti-land invasion unit, who asked for support from the police to inspect the claims because, last year sometime, an official attached to the unit was shot in his hand by angry residents," Haywood said.
City officials had, however, been told that crime statistics in the area were down and, as a result, the police said they would not intervene, she claimed, adding that she had e-mails to confirm the police's response.
The 56-member anti-land invasion unit is not armed. Its members carry out evictions on behalf of the City of Cape Town.
Haywood said provincial police had later agreed to help formulate a plan to deal with the problem.
"We understand that there is a housing need but there is also a due process that needs to be followed - there is a housing waiting list that people can register on to obtain safely built homes in a legal manner," Haywood said.
She said about 25,000 people lives in Hangberg.
At the foot of the mountain on Tuesday, Alfred Abbot was digging trenches for his new home.
A network of electricity cables ran from the the new houses to formal homes nearby.
Abbot said he knew he was building an illegal home and that he could be forcefully removed at any time.
But he was defiant.
"If the cops come, I'll ask them if they want to live with their mothers forever," he said.
Abbott said he lived in a one-bedroomed council-owned house in Hangberg with his mother and four siblings, along with four children all under the age of nine.
City spokesperson Kylie Hatton said the city was aware of the situation and was "taking it extremely seriously" in light of the health and fire hazards linked to the new infrastructure.
Hatton said the council had not given residents permission to build on the mountain.
- Cape Argus
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