New Horizon residents rally for improved housing conditions amid ongoing struggles

Disgruntled residents from New Horizon in Pelican Park handed over a memorandum of demands to City officials on Thursday, calling for poor housing conditions to be addressed, and an end to the demolition of informal structures and carports.

The residents marched to the City of Cape Town offices, armed with their memorandum in which they demand that their carports and wendy houses, among other informal structures, not be demolished.

They also request that an unused road reserve, which has been utilised by residents, be formally allocated to them, along with a promise of geysers to be fulfilled.

The residents said they received notices giving them 60 days to demolish the informal structures.

They said the structures were built to create safety for themselves, their families, belongings and vehicles.

In the memorandum, shared with the Cape Argus, they said: “Our homes are located in a gang-affected, high-crime area, where many of us face daily threats of theft, violence, and home break-ins.

In response to these challenges, and in the absence of meaningful government support, residents have had no choice but to take initiative to secure their families and properties, which includes building high vibacrete boundary walls, constructing informal wendy houses to shelter additional family members as the original homes are too small. Extending slightly into the unused road reserve to create off-street parking, after many residents experienced car theft and vandalism when vehicles were left on the open road. We are now being told to vacate these extensions to allow for the construction of sidewalks on one side of the road. While we support development, we strongly oppose any move that compromises our safety and shelter, and we demand that this portion of the road reserve be officially allocated to the residents."

The City said it was best for the ward councillor, Gerry Gordon, to address the grievances.

“With regards to the pavement project in ward 67, this project is directed at the installation of pavements on one side of the different roads in New Horizon," she said.

“An assessment needed to be done to look at the feasibility and it was found that residents had built structures on parts of the reserve where people need to walk. This is City property which was encroached upon.

“This means that residents who had transgressed received letters to have the structures removed.

“The department indicated to the residents that if they needed to be assisted with compliance, they would do their utmost to assist within the framework of the City’s policies.

 “Some people have not only built on their property without plans, but also encroached on the reserve, which is the City’s property and a transgression of the by-laws.

“These are homeowners who made the decision to transgress unlawfully.

"The department, however, is still willing to guide these homeowners to comply, but they need to come forward and approach the department at Ledger House.”

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus