‘Sisulu sabotaging housing deal’

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich came out with guns blazing on Wednesday against the African National Congress (ANC) and the Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu, accusing her of sabotaging a major land and housing deal struck between landowners and squatters in Hout Bay. Ehrenreich also repeated his controversial call for squatters to invade land to force the government to act.

After years of racial acrimony over housing shortages in the racially divided coastal town, Ehrenreich asked the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) to mediate in discussions between the haves and have-nots in order to find a solution. The IJR launched a peace and mediation strategy at the beginning of March.

Both the ANC and the DA, which controls Hout Bay, have called for squatters to be removed from Imizamu Yethu, the crowded African township in the centre of the town. Black and coloured residents of Hangberg have opposed removal.

DA ward councillor Marga Haywood told the Mail & Guardian shortly after she won ward 74 in the Hout Bay by-election that the only solution to Hout Bay’s massive land and housing issues was to ‘forcibly move people. Hout Bay is in a big mess and the only solution I see is that people are removed from here — even if it is against their will.” She subsequently denied saying this.

Last week, a draft document of principles on the greater Hout Bay housing crisis was finalised in which all parties agreed that removals would take place only after consultation and if acceptable housing was provided elsewhere.

However, Sisulu has now been accused of failing to become involved in the key process of identifying land for potential development. Ehrenreich said the housing department had failed to appear at any meetings.

Sisulu’s spokesperson, Thery Ndopu, denied the allegations, saying the minister had received no invitation to ‘attend events in Hout Bay”.

Said Ehrenreich this week: ‘This is an amazing process where the homeless and wealthy, landless blacks and coloureds, white ratepayers and the city council came together and agreed on a set of principles. The only stumbling block is the national government and, specifically, the national housing minister.

‘I believe government is trying to sabotage this process. The community needs an integrated response from government and we’ve invited Sisulu to meetings. She even accepted an invitation to attend a Human Rights Day rally in Hout Bay, but she never pitched.

‘I believe it’s because government doesn’t want the wealthy and the poor to live cheek by jowl because property prices might take a dip. They don’t want to take a stand that might create a precedent for the rest of the country’s homeless and poor.”

Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, who has been involved in the Hout Bay land crisis for years, said she was not ‘surprised by government’s lack of enthusiasm and involvement. They’ve been making high-profile visits to the area and big political statements, but not grappling with the very complex issues and trying to find creative solutions in a difficult environment.”

Ehrenreich said the government controlled ‘large chunks of land in the area”, including land belonging to the defence force and the South African National Parks Board. This land could ‘easily be adjusted to accommodate the poor and landless”.

‘I urge poor communities to invade land and threaten to invade land because it seems it’s the only way to force government to act,” he said.