Cape Town - Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said a total of R2.3 billion was allocated over the past 10 years to the City of Cape Metro for the upgrade of the informal settlements.
Kubayi also said the growth in the demand for housing in the metro outstripped the production of housing opportunities by the public and private sectors.
She made the statement when she was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from ANC MP Faiez Jacobs, who asked about the total number of informal settlements in the metro after recent fires were experienced in Joe Slovo informal settlements in Langa, which he said was an annual occurrence over the past 10 years.
Jacobs also enquired about the steps her department had taken to upgrade informal settlements over the decade and whether her department allocated any monies for the upgrade of informal settlements.
In her written response, Kubayi showed that the city had 835 informal settlements with at least 286 464 structures.
She said 186 new settlements sprung up as part of the land invasions that took place between March 2020 and October 2021, resulting in new 59 192 structures.
The minister added that the data was collected from aerial photography or drone footage with individual structure counts, physical surveys in some instances and solid waste door to door survey information.
Kubayi also said the analysis of each settlement resulted in the most likely development pathway for that specific settlement.
The steps taken included rolling out of basic access frameworks such as improved roads and pedestrian movement as part of the basic service package to informal settlements.
There were also settlements which required to be de-densified before any development, but basic services were provided in the interim.
“Certain settlements will be required to be relocated in totality due to various factors such as location in areas prone to flooding, under power lines in road reserves and located on landfill sites.
“The location risk factors of the settlements require relocation to a safer environment.”
Kubayi said R2 384 095 703 had been received by the City of Cape Town Metro since 2012.
The allocation was R27.7 million in 2012/13 and it increased over the years up to R242m in 2020-21 and R316m in the last financial year.
“The funding received for the upgrading of informal settlements were utilised for settlements where planning approvals were obtained, de-densification could be achieved for in-situ upgrading as per the UISP approach.
“Not all settlements are suitable for upgrading and a vast number are inappropriately located for example in rail reserve, over bulk infrastructure line, under Eskom power lines or in flood prone locations,” she said.
“The growth in the demand for housing in the City of Cape Town outstrips the production of housing opportunities by the city, province and the private sector,” she said.
Kubayi also said the negative economic conditions such as the increase in job losses under the Covid-19 pandemic the country has been experiencing have led to more people not being in a position to pay rent for formal or informal locations and thus resulting in growth of informal settlements.
Cape Times