JOINT STATEMENT BY THE OFFICE OF THE PREMIER AND EXECUTIVE MAYOR

Premier Zille, Mayor De Lille and Manenberg Steering Committee announce progress on upgrade plans

Today, 3 August 2015, the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town are joined by the Manenberg Project Steering Committee to announce progress on plans for urban upgrading.

The steering committee represents the Manenberg community in all aspects of development planning and we are pleased to have them with us today to inform the public of the way forward.

A Community Action Plan (CAP) developed over the last 12 months by the steering committee is nearing completion. This plan will guide public investment in the community and become a signed agreement by all partners.

The Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) programme has worked with the steering committee to develop the plan. The CAP is the outcome of an extensive process that included:

- establishing the Project Steering Committee of representatives from a diverse range of community formations

- consultation with ward committees, churches, safety partners, and other stakeholder groups

- walkabouts in the community to determine development priorities

- workshops, feedback sessions and visioning exercises with the community to plan every aspect of the development

On 27 July 2015, the Manenberg Steering Committee, Premier Zille and Mayor De Lille met to discuss the upgrade plan. All partners have agreed to several key inclusions in the development:

- That building a regional hospital in the community is the best public healthcare investment for Manenberg

- That a hub of 24/7 emergency services be created including a satellite fire station, satellite Metro Police station, and ambulance and first-aid services

- That in addition to a Metro Police Academy, all partners agree to building a vocational school in Manenberg which will offer technical training and career preparation for young people

- That the Ceasefire Programme in Manenberg be based on best practice learnt in Hanover Park, be fully transparent, be run by expertly trained staff, and include psycho-social support services

The full statement by the Manenberg Steering Committee on these agreements is available here – PDF.

A further major part of the Manenberg upgrade is the Youth Lifestyle Campus. This development will link local schools into a network spanning nearly 30 city blocks in length, and include:

- six learning precincts in fields ranging from technology and media to social innovation and ecology

- a well-lit promenade, kept safe by positive social activity and expertly trained, well-resourced law enforcement officers

- Manenberg’s very own waterfront, linked by a safe route to a ‘high street’ promoting scores of small businesses

In 2011, through our Integrated Development Plan, we introduced a programme focusing on the regeneration of areas that needed urban upgrading. The areas selected for inclusion in this project were informed by the City’s commitment to redress and to overcoming many generations of spatial and economic exclusion. Based on these criteria, Manenberg was the very first area to be included in the programme, along with Hanover Park, Lotus Park, Bishop Lavis, Valhalla Park, Bonteheuwel, Athlone, Atlantis, Kuyasa, Ocean View and the Mitchells Plain Town Centre.

Since then, we have made numerous interventions and investment into Manenberg which includes more than R200 million spent on the Council Rental Unit upgrades and an additional R40 million approved to pay for the extras which were incurred due to the delays caused by gangsterism, crime and issued related to the viability of the contractor.

A total of R5,5 million was spent on a synthetic pitch in order to bring a world-class sports facility to the area. We have also committed to investing in excess of R274 million over three financial years (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16) for the upgrading of concrete roads in Gugulethu, Manenberg, Heideveld and Bonteheuwel to provide residents with easier, safer and more efficient access to economic and other opportunities.

The Mayoral Urban Regeneration Committee approved the following budget allocations for Manenberg for the 2015/16 financial year:

- R1,5 million for the Ceasefire programme to start in Manenberg (operational budget)

- R1,5 million for the outreach programme for youth at risk (operational budget)

- R750 000 for social crime prevention programmes (operational budget)

- A capital budget investment of R29 million from the Integrated City Development Grant over a period of three years for the Youth Lifestyle Campus.

- Capital budget investment of R20 million for non-motorised transport over a period of three years from the Urban Settlement Development Grant starting in 2015/16, 2016/17 and ending in 2017/18.

Way forward

As the next step, all partners will finalise the Community Action Plan. Based on this plan, government line departments will commit budgets to public investment in Manenberg.

The Manenberg Steering Committee will expand its portfolio committees and capacity-building efforts.

Public investment plans will be communicated through:

- adoption at City of Cape Town Area Coordinating Team, Subcouncil and Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme meetings

- meetings per ward to present the Community Action Plan to broader stakeholders

- meetings per each of the six Youth Lifestyle Campus precincts to co-design the school grounds

- consultation with ward councillors, ward committees, the sporting fraternity; health forums; ECD forums; the non-governmental organisation/community-based organisation sector; safety forums; school governing bodies; and faith-based organisations

The Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town would like to congratulate the Manenberg Steering Committee, the Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme, and the VPUU for all that has been achieved so far.

Together we will make these historic plans for urban transformation in Manenberg a reality.

Statement issued by Michael Mpofu, Spokesperson for Premier Helen Zille, Western Cape Government, and Pierrinne Leukes, Spokesperson for the Executive Mayor – Patricia de Lille, City of Cape Town, August 3 2015