Stories of township fires are common in Cape Town. According to Independent Online: December of 2019 saw 24 deaths as a result of 180 shack fires. Yearly figures might not be entirely accurate, but they seem to be steadily rising as an increasing number of informal settlements spring up.
The headlines are depressing. “Gugulethu shack fire death takes week’s toll in Cape Town to seven”. “Two people die in Cape Town shack fire”. “Family of five die in shack fire”. “Residents shocked as baby among six dead in Paarl fire”.
Whilst these stories are horrific; they do not entirely cover the gravitas of the situation. I believe that this dilemma speaks to a larger issue at hand: the lack of effective housing policy in Cape Town.
The current housing crisis stems back to the days of segregation; and more specifically: the legacy of ‘apartheid-era spatial planning’.
The term refers to the urban planning which occurred under the guide of a National Party government. People of colour were forcibly removed from the urban areas they resided in and placed on the outskirts of the city; a distance away from crucial economic hubs. In Cape Town, many people of colour still occupy these old settlements. The conditions are squalid, unhygienic, dangerous and inhuman.
I am not alone in thinking that the housing crisis is a major problem. In November of 2018, prominent Western Cape Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor – Brett Herron, now GOOD Western Cape Member of Parliament – resigned as a result of the party’s apparent lax attitude towards addressing the housing crisis.
In a series of e-mails, Herron explained his perspective, writing:
“The DA is particularly resistant to using well- located public land for affordable housing purposes... I was responsible for new housing from January 2017 I identified a number of public properties in the City Centre, Woodstock and Salt River for affordable housing. The DA blocked these parcels being made available for mixed-use, mixed-income on-site integrated housing.”
Whether or not local government enacts substantial policy to counter the housing crisis might come down to the amount of public pressure put on them. Activist organisations such as Reclaim The City (RTC) have put a relentless effort forward to pressure the City of Cape Town into adopting a more effective housing policy.
Their actions have drawn the ire of the local government. In September of 2019, members of RTC marched through Cape Town’s CBD dressed as deceased members of the National Party; in an attempt to compare the current city government with that of the past.
Ironically enough, Dan Plato, the current mayor of Cape Town, and many of his leadership team were all members of the National Party
The individuals in these organisations are fighting to redress the injustices of the past which have yet to be fixed by elected officials. Acknowledging their struggle is a step in the right direction.
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