City providing relief; Sanral and National Government must take responsibility for their actions

Over the last two days, Sanral, the ANC and various National Ministers have tried to distort what has transpired in Lwandle. All these efforts have been aimed at trying to blame the City of Cape Town for a process that it is the result of the actions/inaction of the national government-controlled Sanral.

It needs to be reiterated that the evictions that have taken place in Lwandle were the result of the enforcement of an interdict obtained by Sanral, against individuals who illegally invaded their land after the time of the issuing of the court interdict. It is Sanral and the Sheriff that need to answer as to why they timed the enforcement of said interdict in the middle of a major storm.

The City has proactively requested Sanral to manage their land in question, as we raised repeated concerns about the lack of services on the land which they own. The City requested permission to provide additional services on their land, as we are required by law - but Sanral refused.  We urged Sanral to purchase a suitable land parcel to accommodate the people who had illegally invaded their land. At no stage did the City's dispute with Sanral over the proposed toll on the N2 stop them from purchasing alternative land.

It needs to be stressed that it is only the City of Cape Town that has responded to the humanitarian situation that has been created by the enforcement of the interdict. We have made available community halls and provided emergency relief - this forms part of our commitment to being a caring city. In so doing, we are the only sphere of government paying to fix the consequences of Sanral's, and by implication the national government's actions. We have made these facilities available for seven days as an interim relief measure in the context of cold, rainy weather.

It is therefore grossly irresponsible for ANC Councillors to then state that people in the community halls can stay for as long as they choose. This will only exacerbate the situation and they need to be disciplined by the ANC for these statements. Furthermore, for the ANC to attack the City and misrepresent the situation as a result of the City's actions is completely nonsensical. It is Sanral who enforced an interdict they obtained; they are therefore in effect attacking themselves.

The extent of the mess that Sanral and national government have landed themselves in is indicated by the fact that they are now proposing that the very people they evicted from the Sanral-owned land be allowed to return. We will monitor developments in this regard closely.

The City of Cape Town firmly believes that it is time that Sanral, the national government and the ANC stop trying to shift responsibility and blame on this issue. We are providing relief and they now need to take responsibility for their actions and come up with constructive long-term solutions.

Statement issued by Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli, Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, City of Cape Town, June 4 2014

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