RESIDENTS of KTC near Crossroads in Cape Town are unhappy over the slow pace of housing delivery in the area.
KTC's crowded Section Four is home to more than 5000 families, of whom 4000 must be moved so that the area can be upgraded.
Only 259 families have been moved out of KTC so far - to new government houses in Delft, about 15km away.
The KTC Concerned Residents' Movement says ward councillor Gladstone Ntamo is to blame for the delay.
"It will take another five years to upgrade this place if the councillor moves people to Delft at this pace. He moves them one by one," the movement's spokesperson, Ben Londzi, said.
KTC resident Makwenkwe Tengwa also complained about the slowness of the upgrade. He said KTC shack dwellers only wanted houses.
"People here will move anywhere in the city if they are going to get a house there because they have been living in shacks for more than 30 years," he said.
Some of the residents were even part of the historic "Asiyi-Khayelitsha" campaign in the 1980s, when they rose up against the apartheid government's bid to demolish Crossroads and move everyone further out of the city to Khayelitsha.
Ntamo said he was not to blame for the slow pace of delivery, because the city of Cape Town and provincial government were calling the shots.
"The pace is too slow and I have even said so to Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale," Ntamo said.
"I was promised that 757 people would be moved to new houses in Delft, but they are only moving them two at a time."
Provincial Housing Department spokesperson Zalisile Mbali also said Ntamo was not to blame.
"The councillor is only there to monitor and assist during relocation," Mbali said.
The City of Cape Town's Roger Carney said the national government's Housing Development Agency was to blame because it allocated houses in Delft for KTC residents.
"There is a misconception around the upgrading of KTC. We are dependent on the agency who gives us space to move people to. They do not allocate enough space. This is frustrating for all of us including the residents and the councillor," said Carney.
The agency would only say that they are busy with a number of projects to relocate KTC residents.
- Sowetan
KTC's crowded Section Four is home to more than 5000 families, of whom 4000 must be moved so that the area can be upgraded.
Only 259 families have been moved out of KTC so far - to new government houses in Delft, about 15km away.
The KTC Concerned Residents' Movement says ward councillor Gladstone Ntamo is to blame for the delay.
"It will take another five years to upgrade this place if the councillor moves people to Delft at this pace. He moves them one by one," the movement's spokesperson, Ben Londzi, said.
KTC resident Makwenkwe Tengwa also complained about the slowness of the upgrade. He said KTC shack dwellers only wanted houses.
"People here will move anywhere in the city if they are going to get a house there because they have been living in shacks for more than 30 years," he said.
Some of the residents were even part of the historic "Asiyi-Khayelitsha" campaign in the 1980s, when they rose up against the apartheid government's bid to demolish Crossroads and move everyone further out of the city to Khayelitsha.
Ntamo said he was not to blame for the slow pace of delivery, because the city of Cape Town and provincial government were calling the shots.
"The pace is too slow and I have even said so to Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale," Ntamo said.
"I was promised that 757 people would be moved to new houses in Delft, but they are only moving them two at a time."
Provincial Housing Department spokesperson Zalisile Mbali also said Ntamo was not to blame.
"The councillor is only there to monitor and assist during relocation," Mbali said.
The City of Cape Town's Roger Carney said the national government's Housing Development Agency was to blame because it allocated houses in Delft for KTC residents.
"There is a misconception around the upgrading of KTC. We are dependent on the agency who gives us space to move people to. They do not allocate enough space. This is frustrating for all of us including the residents and the councillor," said Carney.
The agency would only say that they are busy with a number of projects to relocate KTC residents.
- Sowetan
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