Sanral asked to house evictees

Cape Town - The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) must rebuild housing for people it evicted in Cape Town as an interim solution, the city said on Thursday.

Together with the Ses'khona People's Rights Movement and two ward councillors, the parties agreed Sanral should be responsible for rebuilding 849 structures of 18 square metres each, in Lwandle near Somerset West.

“Ses'khona would like them (Sanral) to bear the cost because they believe Sanral is at fault, not the city,” said mayor Patricia de Lille's spokeswoman Pierinne Leukes.

The city had initially agreed to provide emergency housing kits, each nine square metres in size.

Leukes said these kits were still available if needed.

Hundreds of families were evicted from the Sanral land in Lwandle last week.

Their shacks were demolished and set alight. Many lost their personal possessions and were left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Back-and-forth negotiations followed between the shack dwellers, the city, Sanral, and the national human settlements department.

A community hall has been used to house the families in the interim.

On Wednesday, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu agreed to a plan to move the families back to the land they were evicted from until the city had completed the Macassar housing development project.

De Lille had given Lwandle evictees a written undertaking that they would receive individual serviced sites in this housing project. The first batch of residents would be housed by November next year.

In the interim, Leukes said the city would provide 45 chemical toilets on the periphery of the Lwandle land and replace them with full flush toilets within two months.

“The city will also provide water standpipes and the Housing Development Agency will consult with Eskom regarding the provision of electricity.”

She said Ses'khona and Sanral would meet soon and then inform the city when the families would be moved from the community hall to Lwandle.

Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona was not immediately available to comment.

- Sapa