The City is delivering a comprehensive basket of services in Khayelitsha

This has been a difficult week for Cape Town as we have experienced the violent consequences of the reckless political rhetoric of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and other groupings.

The events of this week have proved beyond any doubt that these protests are not actually about service delivery problems or legitimate demands of the poor, but are rather the result of the manipulations of the ANCYL.

I witnessed this first hand in OR Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha on Tuesday night. A crowd of over 1000 residents of the area had gathered to listen to a report from myself and members of the Mayoral Committee on how their input had been incorporated into the priorities of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), and perhaps even more importantly the specific deliverables we will be rolling out in Khayelitsha.

These deliverables, such as bulk infrastructure and housing targets, will bring much needed development to a historically neglected part of the city. This development, like all City undertakings, is intended to be done in partnership with communities.

Unfortunately, development goals and partnerships are not desired by all.

The meeting was disrupted by a group of young people (some of whom were wearing ANC berets), much to the sadness and frustration of other members of the community, many of whom were elderly. I reluctantly had to bring the meeting to an end in order to ensure the safety of the community members present.

I have however given the explicit undertaking that I return soon with my Mayco team to give this important information to the Khayelitsha community as neither, I nor the City will be deterred by the actions of a politically motivated minority.

This morning, parts of the City surrounding the N2 were again affected by so-called service protests.

Hundreds of law abiding citizens were delayed from getting to work and the City had to deploy scare resources to contain the situation. What is particularly disturbing is that in this well directed action, with evidence again indicating that this was led by the ANCYL, school children were deliberately put in the front lines. This tactic prevented the SAPS from taking firm action in certain instances.

This kind of cowardly action speaks volumes for the values and principles of those involved. We quite simply have to build a City characterised by inclusion; that means respect for each other's rights and differing viewpoints. Thug-like behaviour of any kind can never be an accepted part of our democracy.

I, and many others, have fought all our lives for the right to protest. To witness this hard fought freedom being so abused is very difficult to stomach.

What makes the situation even more frustrating is that in the case of Khayelitsha, the City is delivering a comprehensive basket of services. 

We have an enormous challenge to overcome the Apartheid legacy of underdevelopment in the area, but one considers all that we are doing, it becomes clear that there is no merit at all in the ANCYL's claim that the City is not delivering to the poor and the vulnerable.

Amongst many other programmes and projects, too long to detail in this newsletter, we are delivering the following:

• Each ward in Khayelitsha will receive R700 000 for funding of local projects such as the upgrading of community facilities
• Wards in Khayelitsha will receive part of the R10 000 000 additional allocation as part of the mayoral redress programme
• Indigent relief to the value of R1,2 billion, including budget provision for free water and electricity and refuse removal
• The provision of free call lines to report service delivery complaints
• The extensive provision of free basic services to the indigent
• R20 million job creation project through area cleaning
• R300 million investment in the Phase 2 rollout of the IRT N2 - express service to Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain by December 2013
• R9 000 000 allocated to improve health facilities, including a new clinic in Town 2 and the expansion of Luvuyo clinic
• R3 275 196 allocated to enhance the provision of ARV medication
• R7 500 000 for an upgrade to the Vuyani Market
• R1 000 000 for an upgrade to the Site C Meat Market
• R2 000 000 allocation for the Monwabisi Chalet Development
• Over R500 000 set aside for traffic calming measures
• R8 000 000 for the revamping of Solomon Mahlangu Hall
• R2 500 000 for an upgrade to the Khayelitsha Wetlands
• R300 000 for a new swimming pool in Site B
• R22 000 000 for a new regional library in Kuyasa
• R8 818 048 for the construction of the Harare Square Business Hub
• Upgrades of the sewer network and water supply at a cost of over R10 000 000
•  Two thousands units to upgraded at Enkanini Phase 2 as par of the Upgrading of Informal Settlement Programme
• Housing programmes in the Khayelitsha area which will deliver over 4000 units
•  The provision of electricity to 850 informal structures in Enkanini by the end of this month.
• A compressive update on all forms of housing projects currently under construction and being planned for Khayelitsha

This information exposes the ANCYL's rhetoric as hollow indeed. The City will continue to deliver on these and a range of other programmes to improve the lives of all citizens, but most especially the poor and the vulnerable.

This is part of what we are doing to build a more Caring and Inclusive City. When the next election comes around, voters would do well to remember that this government has tried to build a better city for all of us to live. Others, such as the ANCYL, have seemed to care more about using the poor as weapons and burning this city instead of respecting the democratic will of the majority.

This article by Patricia de Lille first appeared in Cape Town This Week, the weekly online newsletter of the Mayor of Cape Town.

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