NY 106 to be named Zapiro Lane

Cape Town - Controversial cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro is excited about his new spot in Gugulethu – NY 106 is to become Zapiro Lane.

The City of Cape Town will start replacing “NY” street names in Gugulethu next week with names put forward by residents.

On Saturday at the Gugulethu Stadium an event was held to mark the “finalisation” of the 90 new street names.

“NY” is widely understood to stand for “native yard”.

On media invites the stadium’s location was still given as NY 49, but this will be changed soon.

The new name will be Indwe Street, Xhosa for the Blue Crane, the country’s national bird.

Addressing a crowd of about 400 people, mayco member for transport Brett Herron said the replacement of street signs would continue until January, at a cost of about R370 000.

Herron thanked Gugulethu residents for submitting more than 4 500 proposals for new names. “We are removing the NY streets once and for all,” he said to applause.

Friends Bongani Mqhakayi and Simbongile Nkapayi, who live on NY 3, came to the event to hear what the names would be.

Mqhakayi said: “So far we think they have chosen good names. It is important they should choose names of the people who fought for freedom.”

NY 3 is being changed to Qabazi Drive, after Rev Qabazi, an Anglican priest, school principal and community leader.

Shapiro, who was also in the crowd, said he was “over the moon” that NY 106 would become Zapiro Lane.

The cartoonist said it had been “gratifying” that the name changing process had been driven by Gugulethu residents themselves, because it gave the new names more credence. He said he was looking forward to visiting the street. “I am definitely going to go and check it out”.

The process to find new names started in September last year.

Between last November and March, the city asked Gugulethu residents to suggest new names as part of its “name your hood” campaign.

To spread the word, city officials went door-to-door and handed out pamphlets.

After the 4 500 paper and online proposals were received, they were mulled over by a panel of experts, who chose the 90 they believed were best.

Gugulethu residents then had the chance to vote – online or at booths at shopping malls – to say if they agreed or disagreed with the panel’s proposals.

One major Gugulethu thoroughfare that has already been changed is NY1, which was renamed Steve Biko Drive last year.

The street, which links the N2 to Lansdowne Road, was renamed on Heritage Day to launch the city’s renaming campaign.

- Weekend Argus

Native Yards get renamed - Prof Frances Ames remembered

Cape Town - A child Aids activist, a neurology professor and even a controversial satirist are among those to be honoured when 90 NY streets in Gugulethu are renamed.

Shado Twala, who heads the panel tasked with sifting through the 4 500 proposals to replace the derogatory “Native Yard” designations, said the process “brought out all (types) of passions”.

As some of the proposals had to be discarded for being non-compliant with the regulations, the panel was able to put forward names of its own choosing.

“Where no name was nominated for a street, or none of them fell within council policy, your panel of experts used their discretion to honour illustrious musicians, poets, writers and artists,” said Twala in her letter of recommendation to the mayor.

Although none of the respondents during the participation process recommended it, the panel decided that NY 151 should be renamed Enoch Sontonga Street, after the composer of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.

The panel was unanimous that NY 91 should be renamed Nkosi Johnson Street after the child Aids activist. Another young person to be remembered is Amy Biehl, who will have NY 147 named after her.

Biehl was an American anti-apartheid activist who was killed by a mob in Gugulethu.

Satirical cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro is to be honoured for his contribution to press freedom and social commentary with the renaming of NY 106 as Zapiro Lane. Don Tshomela, a jazz artist who lived in NY 65, is remembered for putting Gugulethu on the map.

Neurologist Frances Ames will be remembered when NY 111 is named after her. Ames, a UCT emeritus professor, implicated doctors involved in the cover-up of Steve Biko’s death and she was awarded the Star of Africa civilian award by former president Nelson Mandela.

Women feature prominently in the set of new names, with Ruth Hayman Street being proposed for NY 24. Hayman was one of the first women to qualify as an attorney. She offered free legal advice and was banned under apartheid legislation. Dora Tamana of the ANC Women’s League is honoured in the renaming of NY 89. Albertina Sisulu’s name could soon be on the NY 149 street sign, while Miriam Makeba will have NY 154 named after her. Another struggle stalwart to be remembered is Lillian Ngoyi, who will be honoured with the renaming of NY 19.

Nature is recognised with some of the new names, such as Iqwarhashe which means zebra or diversity, and Intyatyambo Street which translates into “we would like our street to blossom like a flower”.

Twala said it was also decided that NY streets would be given proper descriptions, so some would be “lane” or “drive”. NY 1 was renamed Steve Biko Drive last year.

The panel whittled down the thousands of suggestions by breaking down the streets into batches of 15.

The committee gave special consideration to language, historical significance, cultural context and location.

The suggestions were collected after extensive public participation.

These 90 suggestions will be referred to the mayor and naming committee, before being opened again for public comment.

They will then go to the council for approval.

- Cape Argus

R1bn pledge for Cape informal settlements

Cape Town - While the City of Cape Town will spend almost R1 billion on toilets, electricity and water services for informal settlements this year, political resistance and the ongoing “poo protests”, as well as physical and legal constraints, prevent the council from meeting all its service delivery targets in more than 80 percent of these areas.

Mayor Patricia de Lille said the city had increased its budget over the past six years to meet the needs of informal settlements where it could. This year it had allocated a combined amount of R954 million for the provision of electricity, water and sanitation, and solid waste management to these areas. Of this, R14.3m would be used to install an additional 1 300 full flush toilets across the city.

But despite this massive investment in basic services, about 82 percent of the city’s informal settlements could not be fully serviced because they were either on privately-owned land or their location was not suitable for permanent infrastructure.

Speaking at a media briefing to highlight the city’s investment in informal settlements, De Lille said it was impossible to install full flush toilets in high-density informal areas, under power lines, on landfill sites, in a road or railway buffer, on flood plains, in water bodies or retention ponds or outside the urban edge.

Joe Slovo North in Milnerton, for example, was on private land and under power lines, and therefore not suitable for flush toilet infrastructure. The 15 000 dwellings in Vukuzenzele, Europe, Kanana and Barcelona were on an old landfill site.

But despite these obstacles, the city would continue to offer some form of sanitation service, either chemical or container toilet or a portable flush toilet, she said

The portable flush toilets - or portaloos - have taken centre stage in what De Lille described as “organised political resistance” to the DA-led city’s service delivery plans. Two ANC members have been involved in the dumping of faeces at the Western Cape provincial legislature and Cape Town International Airport, while protesters regularly disrupt traffic on key access routes by throwing buckets of human waste.

“It has become increasingly clear that it is only in those communities where there is organised political resistance that portable flush toilets are not accepted. The city is providing this sanitation type on a voluntary basis. The evidence is overwhelming that they are accepted by communities. I would like to call on all political parties to desist from unnecessarily politicising this issue, in the interests of service delivery, not political point scoring.”

De Lille was at pains to emphasise that portable flush toilets were not bucket toilets, but a sealed water-based fully flushable alternative.

“These toilets are cleaned free of charge three times a week by a city contractor and are not bucket toilets.”

About 700 Capetonians still use the bucket system in areas including Boys Town, KTC and France.

City staff have been threatened, attacked and intimidated when trying to service toilets in some areas.

Mayoral committee member for utility services Ernest Sonnenberg said law enforcement officers had to escort cleaners into four no-go areas where they were at risk of being attacked, including in Kanana and Barcelona. Although this number had dwindled in the 16 danger zones identified two months ago when the poo protests started, the city was still having to protect staff trying to clean toilets in these areas.

JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said later that a third of the city’s law enforcement staff were being deployed to deal with poo protesters on the N2 and other parts of the city.

But despite the challenges, De Lille said the city had increased the number of toilets in informal settlements from 14 591 to 40 296 since 2006. The city was also close to reaching its self-imposed target of providing some type of sanitation for every five households. Only 19 000 households across the city did not fall within this 1:5 ratio, said De Lille.

Efforts were being made to address this shortfall. The city would continue to provide full flush facilities when possible, or would offer alternatives such as the portable flush toilets.

More than 7 000 portable flush toilets have been distributed since April, adding to the 10 000 units already in use.

De Lille listed key projects that would improve basic services for informal dwellers.

These included 7 715 new electricity connections in its supply areas and 8 000 in Eskom supply area households. The city would open its solid waste drop on weekends to improve cleaning services in informal settlements.

An additional 1 300 full flush toilets would be available to residents in areas such as Imizamo Yethu, Masiphumelele and Enkanini.

The janitorial service, introduced in Khayelitsha, would be extended to other informal settlements.

De Lille said that despite these projects, the city was “trying to find a balance with a moving target” as the city’s population increased and the need for services intensified.

- Cape Argus

4 800 ideas for Gugs street names

Cape Town - More than 4 800 proposals have been put forward for the 91 NY streets in Gugulethu that are expected to be renamed by August.

Many of the names suggested are of ordinary people who have contributed in some way to the community - such as Sophaphazi, the owner of a funeral parlour, and Njunja, after an NY11 resident who shone on the basketball court.

While political figures such as Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki are on the list, there are other suggestions that simply capture the spirit of this neighbourhood.

These include “Luvuyile” to signify that “we are happy and united on this street”, “Buntu” because “the people help each other fight crime” and “Sisonke” because “we help and motivate each other”.

Religious names are also popular, such as “Qabazi” to honour the resident priest of the parish on NY3. Struggle icons are also remembered, with proposals for streets to be named after Archie Gumede, Chris Hani and Robert Sobukwe. Businessmen, community leaders, spiritual figures and even the police who were allocated houses in NY155 may feature when the new names are chosen.

Popular tavern owner Mzoli Ngcawuzele may also be honoured for his contribution to the community.

Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said there was still some debate about the meaning of the NY term, commonly thought to stand for “Native Yard”. However, regardless of its meaning, NY was not a “dignified” moniker for the streets and public places of Gugulethu.

“Over the past nine months, assisted by our service provider Name Your Hood, we have been consulting with the residents of Gugulethu, and in particular the people who live on these 91 streets, and have been encouraging them to submit naming proposals for their streets.”

He said the city’s extensive public consultation process had been very successful.

“We have knocked on doors and spoken to residents at shops, churches, schools and other public places in Gugulethu. We have also run a very modern electronic platform for our Gugs residents to submit naming proposals.”

The 11-person panel, chaired by Shado Twala, will consider the proposals and make recommendations to the city’s naming committee. These will then be referred to the mayor and council for approval.

- Cape Argus

Gugs residents up for street renaming

Cape Town - The street renaming campaign in Gugulethu starts on Monday, when residents will be able to put their suggestions forward for 25 streets.

Name Your Hood, which is running the campaign for the city, will launch this part of the process.

It allows people to check online all the suggestions for a street or “hood” and also to check which are the most popular names.

This campaign will involve naming eight “hoods” in the township as well as new names for 91 streets.

The names of “hoods” will be chosen by popular vote. There are also pamphlets explaining the history of each “hood”.

But the list of street name suggestions will be taken to the city, which will compile a shortlist. The list will be put out to city-wide public participation next year.

Name Your Hood had an online campaign in the city centre to name certain areas in the CBD.

In the Gugulethu process, residents can vote online and via their cellphones.

Voting forms are also given to residents to complete. People can deposit their forms in eight voting boxes at malls, clinics and taxi ranks across the area.

Name Your Hood has set up internet kiosks for residents where they can check on the process and see how many votes the different suggestions are receiving.

Each suggestion also has a motivation attached.

Soon, Name Your Hood will visit local schools and old-age homes with computers so they could also view the renaming campaign in real time.

Bruce Good, the founder of Name Your Hood, said this kind of participation meant that people could stay “actively engaged the entire time”.

“It’s very transparent and gives people time to get used to the new names.”

People have already been giving suggestions for the names of the first “hood”, which is seen as the arts and the culture hub of the area.

The suggestions include naming the area after Dr Aadil Moerat. There is already a Dr Moerat Street in this part of Gugulethu.

Moshe Apleni, Name Your Hood project manager, explained that Moerat had become known as the “people’s doctor” in Gugulethu.

“He would treat pensioners even when they could not pay, and they would pay later… he served the people so well,” said Apleni.

Another suggested naming one of the “hoods” Bishop’s Court.

- Cape Argus

Scene of Struggle heroics renamed

Cape Town - This city road has carved out a place in Cape Town’s Struggle history, connecting one part of the sprawling Gugulethu township to the other.

Many Struggle scenes played themselves out along Gugulethu’s NY1. Residents remember marching in the street, squaring up against police and being sprayed with tear gas.

Others fondly recall how it also came to be known as “Ladies Street”, a road where women went dressed in their best clothing, knowing that everyone would see them as they walked along NY1.

On Monday, on Heritage Day, this road was renamed after one of the Struggle’s greatest icons, Steve Biko. During the apartheid era, Biko used this street as a meeting place.

City mayor Patricia de Lille and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille were joined by Biko’s family in Gugulethu for the official renaming on Tuesday. De Lille praised Biko, as one of the “great leaders” in the “revolution of the mind”.

“Like many great prophets telling great truths, Steve Biko was murdered for his ideas. He was murdered for the power of this revolution.” Zille labelled his death apartheid’s “worst crime” against a single person.

“Apartheid died, but Steve Biko has lived on. It’s so appropriate to name this road after a mind-liberating philosopher like Biko.”

And while Biko was remembered for his writing and his political beliefs around black consciousness, his sister Bandi had the crowd laughing as she remembered her older brother’s antics.

Biko and his siblings were raised just outside King William’s Town.

“He told me I was not my mother’s child, my mother was in an aeroplane. He said that when they received me, they had put a mattress outside to collect me. I remember every time an aeroplane flew past, I would say: “Mommy please don’t pick me up, I really love living with this family,” Biko laughed.

But the young Steve Biko was thoughtful and the two of them often visited the elders in the area.

Biko spoke on the history of Gugulethu and how her brother had been politically active there. She hoped the name change would be a reminder for young people.

Lungiswa James, the city’s mayoral committee member for health and a Gugulethu resident, credited Biko for being instrumental in involving the province in the Struggle, in making many young people aware of the injustices of apartheid.

The road certainly had historical significance, but James added it was also socially the place in which to be seen in Gugulethu.

- Cape Argus

Gugulethu to rename ‘Native Yard’ streets

Cape Town - The first of the offensive Native Yard street names, NY1, will be renamed Stephen Biko Drive on Monday to mark the launch of the “Name your Hood” campaign in Gugulethu.

Mayor Patricia de Lille and Premier Helen Zille will rename NY1 on Heritage Day as the public participation process to change 91 street names and eight “hoods” in Gugulethu is launched.

De Lille and Zille will celebrate with the Biko family at Gugulethu Square as the area sheds its first NY street name and honours the Struggle icon.

In a statement, De Lille said the city’s administration was “committed to redress and reconciliation and to honouring the heroes of our past and the sacrifices they made to realise a democratic South Africa”.

Monday marks the start of a process whereby Gugulethu residents will be invited to give their input into changing the derogatory names that have been given to 91 streets in their area.

Eight zones or “hoods” will also be renamed in Gugulethu.

A door-to-door campaign will take place after the launch and pamphlets will be handed out to residents, explaining how they can submit their street name proposals.

Residents will have the option to submit their proposals manually or via social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Naming committee chairman Brett Herron said previously that the “Name your Hood” campaign was aimed at engaging with the community in a “creative and innovative” way.

After the launch, the voting for name changes will be open for two weeks before the submissions are given to the naming committee to deliberate over.

Last week, members of the naming committee asked that Name Your Hood, who will be running the campaign in Gugulethu, ensure that the youth are educated on the history of the area.

Councillors also asked that community leaders and political activists from the area are consulted on the history of various streets that are up for renaming.

Name Your Hood founder Bruce Good assured the naming committee that they would continue to consult with the various stakeholders in the community about the area’s history and character.

The council is expected to vote on the name changes in Gugulethu in a year’s time.

Last month, the council approved several street name changes which included Coen Steytler Avenue becoming Walter Sisulu Avenue, Hendrik Verwoerd Drive changing to Uys Krige Drive and Modderdam Road being named after Robert Sobukwe.

The proposal to honour Struggle veteran Dullah Omar was scrapped last month when the Omar family did not support the proposal that Vanguard Drive or a portion of Jan Smuts Drive be named after Omar. De Lille said the city would look at another way of honouring Omar.

- Cape Times

City Says Majority of Its Budget Aimed At Helping the Poor

While the City of Cape Town announced that it was spending a huge chunk of its budget on improving lives of the poor, chemical toilets in many parts of Khayelitsha will remain for the foreseeable future.

On Thursday Mayor Patricia de Lille and her deputy Ian Neilson reiterated the city's commitment to delivering basic services to the poor, announcing that R10, 8 billion out of their budget of R18 billion focused on direct services spent on the poor.

But despite such efforts, when asked about the use of the bucket system in Khayelitsha's BM section, De Lille said the people there had refused other options saying they preferred the system.

She also said there was no space there to put proper toilets as the area was densely populated and part of the land did not belong to the city but to railfreight agency Transnet.

Neilson denied that it was a bucket system being used but "chemical toilets" which were "very expensive" to run as there were emptied regularly.

Pressed on whether he could install one at his house, he said the ideal situation would be to have flush toilets in every house.

On July 16 the SST community along with the Progressive Youth Movement in Khayelitsha protested against the bucket system saying they wanted "one toilet per household".

The residents, who spilled faeces on Lansdowne Road and barricaded it with burning tyres, also claimed that some residents were falling sick due fumes coming from the chemicals used in the toilets.

They claimed that "hundreds" of toddlers, children and the elderly were being infected with TB and diarrhea due to using the system.

Residents of France informal settlement in Site B were also up in arms in July against the bucket system.

During her address, De Lille said about 1,9 million Capetonians every month benefited from the city's "basket of free basic services" which included free water, electricity, sanitation and refusal removal.

On health Neilson said the city provided free basic health care to "all residents" and of the total health spend of R798 million, R681 was targeted for the poor.

On housing, he said the city had allocated almost its entire budget (99,1%) on pro-poor housing programmes (It allocated R1,449 billion out of its budget of R1,461 billion).

De Lille said she was prepared to meet and discuss service delivery issues with the ANC but not with the ruling party's youth league which has recently organized two protests on service delivery and marched on Premier Helen Zille's office threatening to make the city ungovernable.

She said she was also encouraging ANC councillors in the city to ask critical questions on service delivery.

De Lille conceded that some of the people who were protesting in the townships had genuine concerns and the city was prepared to improve their lot.

- allAfrica

‘Innovative, sexy’ way of renaming streets

Cape Town - Road renaming will be done a bit differently in Gugulethu, using an “innovative, sexy way” to rid Cape Town of the Native Yard street names.

The “Name Your Hood” campaign kicks off at Gugulethu Square on Heritage Day. Residents will be able to have their say in renaming 91 streets and eight “hoods”.

The Name Your Hood concept proved popular when it was launched to name pockets of the city’s CBD.

Now it makes its way to Gugulethu. This project will be managed by the city’s public participation unit, with Name Your Hood acting as the service provider. Schools, churches, businesses and residents will be roped in to give their input.

Speaking at the naming committee meeting on Wednesday, Ruché Daniels, acting manager of the city’s public participation, said the campaign ushered in a new way for renaming city streets.

“This will become the city’s process afterwards, we will use this in future renaming projects because it does add value to public participation,” said Daniels.

Committee chairman Brett Herron said it was a new way of engaging with the community”.

“It’s an innovative, young and sexy campaign… it’s an exciting way of approaching people,” said Herron.

Bruce Good, founder of Name Your Hood, explained the process to the committee on Wednesday.

Following the Heritage Day launch, there will be door-to-door visits.

Pamphlets will be distributed and votes can be submitted manually. Residents can also log their input online.

There will be a two-week voting period. All responses will be brought back to the naming committee.

- Cape Argus

DA Housing: Better Together?

Developing sustainable policies, and implementing them, is the biggest challenge facing any government. 

This is particularly the case in developing countries with limited resources, facing huge demands.

Housing policy is the most complex arena of all.

The big question is: what role should the state play in housing delivery? 

What is affordable, and sustainable? What role should individuals and communities play?

Should the available budget be distributed broadly, in an attempt to deal with the scale of the need? Or should a smaller number of beneficiaries receive a higher subsidy, while others wait their turn, sometimes for decades?

Every political party has grappled with these questions in the 18 years of South Africa’s democracy.

Finding answers has become increasingly urgent, given the enormous demographic shifts, across the sub-continent, leading to the mushrooming of un-serviced informal settlements in all urban centres. Despite the “delivery” of some three million “RDP” houses since 1994, the backlog is now greater than ever, and growing.

In this most complex of debates, there is an emerging consensus on some key issues. Firstly, everyone agrees that the reason people move to cities is to secure an income, not a house. Indeed, many people leave adequate housing behind in rural areas to move to shacks in urban settlements, as they search for a job and services, ranging from electricity to adequate health care. 

In fact, there is near unanimity internationally that if developing countries can solve the jobs crisis, the housing crisis will increasingly resolve itself. That is one reason why the key focus of government policy must be to create a context for rapid economic growth and job creation (rather than entrenching dependency on the state). All political parties in South Africa agree on this, but differ on how best to achieve job-creating growth. 

While this debate, correctly, becomes the focus of public discourse, there is growing convergence in the field of housing policy – an important and welcome development.

In line with developing countries world-wide, the shift in South Africa’s housing policy has been led by the national department of Human Settlements over the past five years. The new approach is based on the insight, articulated by Minister Tokyo Sexwale, that our past approach is proving “totally unsustainable”. Those lucky enough to receive a house, benefit from a state subsidy of approximately R100,000 per house, while on the other hand, increasing numbers of urban migrants live in settlements without services. Whereas some receive a lot, many more get nothing. Given the available budget allocations, and the regulatory environment, most shack-dwellers will wait more than 30 years for a house. And ironically, many who are fortunate enough to get a house will end up back in shacks. Because their primary need is a source of income, many move out of their houses, and rent them or sell them (at a massive discount) to people who do not qualify for a state-subsidised house in the first place, and who could afford to access housing through the market. This unintended consequence of the “down-market” raiding of state-subsidised houses is enormous. In one Western Cape housing development, for example, 80% of beneficiaries moved back into shacks within nine months of receiving their new homes. 

While it may be argued that letting or selling a state-susidised house does indeed enable families to get what they most need – a source of income – this is not a particularly cost effective way of achieving this (to put it mildly) and merely serves to entrench dependency on the state, while aggravating the problem of homelessness amongst the poor (which is the problem the policy was designed to resolve in the first place!).

After facing these anomalies, the national department of Human Settlements launched a new approach, summarised in a policy document released by Minister Tokyo Sexwale in 2010:

“The current housing development approach with a focus on the provision of state subsidised houses will not be able to meet the current and future backlog and there are questions related to its financial sustainability. We need to diversify our approach to include alternative development and delivery strategies, methodologies and products including upgrading of informal settlements, increasing rental stock, and promoting and improving access to housing opportunities in the ‘gap’ market. The core subsidised housing product must be but one of many approaches.”

This policy shift is based on the point of departure that housing solutions in poor communities must be the product of a partnership between the state, individuals and communities. As a result the subsidy regime has been adjusted to encourage the upgrading of existing informal settlements, developing site-and-service schemes, and to make bank loans more affordable. There is also a new focus on affordable rental housing. The new policy and subsidy approach is designed to address the myriad demands for state assistance in housing, while encouraging the active participation of the people themselves in securing their accommodation.

Minister Sexwale summed up the new philosophy recently when he said: “I’m often frowned upon when I say this, but free housing can’t and won’t go on forever in this country. I urge people to capacitate themselves in order to build their own houses.” 

This statement has been backed up by President Jacob Zuma who in 2010 set a national target of delivering 400,000 serviced sites, a goal that requires a substantial shift away from delivering “houses”, towards the delivery of land and services instead. This is the basis for what is known as “incremental housing development” which benefits far more people and is more sustainable.

If the DA wanted to score political points, we could pounce on the revised national housing policy. We could claim that the government had abandoned the poor by scaling down the hand-out of free houses. But this would be disingenuous. In fact we believe that housing delivery should be lifted out of the terrain of party political point-scoring, because the policy imperatives are so clear, and the escalating need so great. We have to use the government’s available resources to offer a range of options, to provide basic services to the millions who need them, to support and partner communities in upgrading their dwellings and communities – and to retain the delivery of houses to those who are prepared to wait. We acknowledge that trade-offs are necessary.

While the DA recognises the factors behind the national policy shift, ironically many ANC public representatives and activists do not. In fact, many seem entirely unaware of the developments in housing policy over the past five years. While the DA is promoting co-operative governance in the field of housing delivery, in line with the new national policy framework, many ANC officials are seeking to score political points out of their own party’s policy shift, by blaming the DA for it! This reflects the extent of confusion, incoherence and division within the ruling party.

In the year of Mangaung, the ANC in general (and Tokyo Sexwale in particular) are not being particularly pro-active in clarifying the confusion. Indeed, they seem to be doing all they can to avoid explaining their new policy direction to their own followers, in case they face a backlash! 

They should not be so coy. It is very encouraging to experience the enthusiasm with which some communities are welcoming the broader range of options available to support them improving their lives.

It was my privilege in recent weeks to visit Langrug, an informal settlement near Franschhoek, where the community is actively partnering the local authority and a range of other organisations, to upgrade their shacks and infrastructure. I believe this partnership could provide a blueprint for upgrading informal settlements in the rest of South Africa. The Langrug community started by facing a stark reality: 72 people shared a single tap and 49 people a toilet. The demand for housing was growing at such a rate that families faced a 72 year-wait for access to an RDP house. So they opted for alternative solutions.

They established a partnership with the Stellenbosch Municipality, and community organisations associated with the South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance (SDI); an innovative NGO called the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC); and the Informal Settlements Network (ISN).

This partnership is one of the first of its kind of which I have become aware. They have a long way to go, but their progress is encouraging. Residents have conducted an enumeration survey to determine the community’s needs, families have co-operated in the relocation required to construct and managed storm-water and grey-water run-off channels. The community has participated in re-designing the settlement in a block formation to maximise security and enable services to be "retro-fitted” while retaining current densities. In turn the local authority is playing an active planning role and allocating finances necessary for services and incremental upgrading. Located in a spectacular setting, Langrug has created a vision of its future as a stable, sustainable Franschhoek, and I have no doubt they will achieve this, in significant measure through the community’s participation and efforts. 

They are active agents of change. They are owning their future. They refuse to remain dependent and passive victims of circumstances. They symbolise our dream of sustainable development in South Africa. Politicians from all parties owe such communities the dignity and respect they deserve, rather than turning their efforts into the political footballs of electoral contests.

Sincerely yours,

Helen Zille

- SA Today

Cape Town seeks street renaming comment

Cape Town residents are urged to submit their comments on proposed street name changes, the city said on Wednesday.

“Our policy is to make sure that everyone that is affected by a proposed renaming be given a chance to have their voice heard,” roads and transport mayoral committee member Brett Herron said.

“This will include the distribution of pamphlets in affected areas and one-on-one surveys with members of the public.”

Officials wearing branded City of Cape Town bibs had already distributed pamphlets along Hendrik Verwoerd Drive, Jip de Jager Drive, Willie van Schoor Avenue, Vanguard Drive, and Lansdowne Road.

Surveys had been completed in Somerset West, Grassy Park, and Parklands.

On Friday, officials would visit Bonteheuwel and Observatory to conduct surveys.

Next Tuesday, surveys would be held in Sea Point, Strand, Woodstock, Stellenryk, and Langa.

Next Friday would be the turn of Mowbray, Scottsville, Parow industrial, Metro township, and Tamboerskloof.

The committee advised that between March 17 and the end of the month, officials would be in the vicinity of the Athlone and Wittebome civic centres. – Sapa

Number’s up for apartheid-era Native Yards (NY)

The offensive NY street names, which stand for “Native Yard”, are the City of Cape Town’s next target as it plans to put 52 NY name change recommendations out for public comment.

The NY street name changes follow the process whereby names of 31 streets in the city, including Hendrik Verwoerd Drive and JB Hertzog Boulevard, were put on a list of recommendations for change by the city’s new naming committee.

The committee, at its inaugural meeting, submitted the changes for public debate. In the new year, the city is to turn its focus on the NY street names which can be found in Gugulethu.

Apartheid planners did not give names to any of the roads in the township, and all were simply numbered as “Native Yards”.

Naming committee chairman Brett Herron said the committee decided at the last meeting that the naming proposals of the previous panel of experts, headed by Rhoda Kadalie, be submitted for extensive public participation. “The city’s public participation unit was tasked with preparing a public participation programme. That programme will roll out during February and March,” Herron said.

He said it was the committee’s intention to deal with the NY names in the next few months and the process would be taken to the public, and the city would conduct extensive public meetings.

“Yes, it is the committee’s intention to deal with the NY names in the coming months. NY1, Gugulethu is already on the list going out for public participation,” Herron said.

He said the naming and renaming process was an important process of city-building.

“It is an important part of our commitment to building an inclusive city. For the process to be successful, it is essential that we encourage and facilitate extensive and comprehensive public participation. This is so important to the successful implementation of renaming that a special meeting of the committee, to consider the proposed public participation programme, is warranted and this will be scheduled as soon as possible,” Herron said.

He said the committee’s next meeting, which was scheduled for this week, was cancelled because no new agenda items needed discussion, given that the council had been in recess.

All 52 NY name change proposals were submitted by the PAC when the process opened in 2007.

PAC councillor Anwar Adams said: “We are going to take a look at all the names again. We submitted all those names, but we’re going to need a refresher. But the names were all activists that were relevant round about the 1960s. The NYs must be changed.” - Cape Times

Call for consultation on street renaming

GUGULETHU residents have called on the City of Cape Town to consult them when it starts with the process of renaming the township's streets.

Early this week the city said it would consider whether to rename Gugulethu's "NY" streets in the new year.

The call to rename the streets was initiated under former ANC mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo because the reference to the streets as NY's (which stood for Native Yard) is offensive.

The city then wanted to rename NY1 as Amy Biehl Avenue after the American exchange student who was killed by PAC members in 1993. There is also a proposal to rename NY1 as "Steve Biko Drive" - after slain black consciousness leader Steve Biko.

Yesterday Sowetan conducted a vox pop to gauge people's feelings about the renaming of streets. Those interviewed said the city should consult with residents first.

Resident Ntombomzi Ncivathe said she was in favour of the street name changes.

"They (NYs) must be changed because they are offensive to black people. (But) I don't think NY1 should be named after Biehl."

Ncivathe also rejected "Steve Biko Drive", saying "many streets or facilities throughout the country have been named after Biko".

Ncivathe suggested that the street be named after a community leader or anti-apartheid struggle activist from Gugulethu.

Another resident, Mzamo Sidelo, accused the city of dividing residents by proposing that NY1 be named after Biko. He, however, supported the idea of naming the street "Amy Biehl".

Sidelo said the street would be viewed as a "monument" because of the 1993 incident and the fact that Biehl had done community work in the area.

Kholeka Nyongo supported " Steve Biko Drive". - Sowetan