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Extortion rackets and threats of violence have delayed or halted several construction projects across Cape Town, affecting hundreds of families desperate to finally have a home of their own.
The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure reports that these disruptions are the result of “violent incidents and threats tied to extortion activities”. Several construction workers have been victims of shootings during these incidents.
Melchior Botes, spokesperson for MEC Tertuis Simmers, explained that 571 housing opportunities for beneficiaries from Tambo Village, Gxagxa, Luyolo, New Rest, Lusaka, and backyard dwellers from Gugulethu and Manenberg have been “put on hold.”
“Some of these threats involved property destruction and arson, such as the burning of site storage and security structures. These unlawful actions have caused significant delays in the project, as the Department cannot risk the safety of our employees or those of our appointed contractors and representatives.”
GroundUp reported in 2022 that the provincial government aimed to complete the housing project by the 2023/24 financial year, however, Botes noted, “The project is expected to resume in the early part of the new financial year, depending on whether criminal activities cause further delays. If all goes as planned, it should be completed by the 2027/28 financial year.”
Botes added that several other projects have also been affected by threats of violence and extortion in the broader Airport Infills Project. These include developments at Luyolo (Gugulethu), Gxagxa (Gugulethu), Tambo Village (Mannenberg), Lusaka Infills, and New Rest – which involve stand-alone, semi-detached, and three-storey buildings across multiple sites.
“Due to land invasions in New Rest and Lusaka Infills, the number of available housing opportunities has been reduced from 729 to 571.”
In Gugulethu, a group of about 40 backyarders from nine families have been occupying the Luyolo Community Hall in NY126 since 2018, hoping to be included in the nearby Luyolo Housing Development. They moved into the hall after the land they had occupied for the development site was flooded.
The City of Cape Town has labelled the occupation illegal, saying that “the facility was built for sports and recreation purposes to meet the broader community’s needs.”
According to Botes, the people currently occupying the hall are however not guaranteed inclusion in the housing development, as placement will be determined by the City’s codes and the waiting list.
It rather seems as if the placement of these desperate people will be determined by how swiftly the city and SAPS can deal with the scourge of extortion which is denying people a better life.
