Dunoon and Kosovo informal settlements to be de-densified

30 March 2020

Pursuant to the announcement yesterday, by National Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, that the DuNoon and Kosovo informal settlements will be de-densified and temporary alternative accommodation offered to the affected residents, this plan will now be initiated in all earnestness.

My department is currently in the process of evaluating how the de-densifying of these areas will unfold. Pursuant to the procurement and delivery of Temporary Residential Units (TRU’s) for the Temporary Residential Areas (TRA’s), which should be concluded soon, we will immediately relocate 2 000 of the 5 500 households within the greater Kosovo area.

Our focus will particularly be on moving the elderly and disabled, as they are our priority and we regard them as the most vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 virus.

As we are the custodian of the land where the DuNoon residents will be temporarily be relocated to, we will engage the City to assess their involvement in this regard. We will gladly assist the local authority, as we want to ensure, we combat COVID-19 as a collective.

Over the next few days, we will start engaging affected communities and explain how the process will unfold. We therefore call on residents to work with us, as this will undoubtedly assist in combatting the spread of COVID-19, particularly since it ensures social distancing, which is our collective challenge during this unprecedented period.

We have to #StopTheSpread

We will continue to also engage and work with the National Department of Water and Sanitation, the Housing Development Agency to accelerate this process.

As the Western Cape Government, we remain committed to accelerating human settlement delivery, while promoting social inclusion through the development of integrated, resilient, safe and sustainable human settlements in an open opportunity society.

Issued by Marcellino Martin, Spokesperson for Minister Tertuis Simmers, 30 March 2020