PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Following violent protest action by Green Valley residents over the lack of service delivery last week, the Bitou Municipality has presented several plans to the community to address their concerns.
One of the main issues behind the action, which saw about 600 residents gathering in Wittedrift on Monday, August 27 and barricading the access roads to the community with burning tree branches, was the lack of housing.
Residents claim that not a single house had been built in Green Valley over the past 18 years. Other issues included the lack of basic services like access to water and sanitation.
The community gave the municipality seven days to respond to their concerns and on Monday, August 31 a meeting was scheduled between residents and the municipality to discuss the way forward.
The Green Valley Hall was packed with some residents not being able to get in when the meeting started at 18:00.
“Because we want to engage with all residents, we have decided to schedule another meeting for Sunday, September 6. If the weather plays along we will have the meeting on the sports field outside to accommodate more people,” Bitou municipal spokesman Howard Swartz said.
He added that residents' main concern was housing. “The municipality therefore discussed with residents various options. One of the options involves purchasing a privately owned property in the area for houses to be built, but this will be a lengthy process. Another option is to build homes on the community’s current sports field, but there were complaints that this area won’t be suitable as it becomes very waterlogged when it rains,” Swartz said.
He added that because consensus could not be reached among residents about the way forward, a decision was made to schedule another meeting for Sunday.
Community leader Martin Booysen said the municipality’s housing department also informed them that new housing projects would only be approved next year.
“Also, the option of using the sports field for housing creates another problem. Then we don’t have any sport facilities in the area and where would our youngsters go?” Booysen said.
He added that the acquisition of the private property for housing had been discussed on various occasions over the past decade, but nothing had come of it.
“They tell us they need to negotiate with the owner, but we never hear anything about progress with that.”
“There is municipal land available in the area and we want them to use that land. We just need to start somewhere, even if it is just by providing us with serviced plots. In the 18 years since houses were built in the area, an entire generation has now reached a stage where they too will need homes. The municipality must just start somewhere, because the housing problem will just get bigger and bigger as time passes.”
He added that the community was trying to take the process forward without further protest action and hoped that the municipality would have a concrete plan by Sunday.
Click here for previous articles:
- 'Forgotten community' speak of their plight
- Peaceful protest turns violent
- Update: Wittedrift protest defused
- Update: Service delivery protest
- Service delivery protests in Wittedrift
ARTICLE: YOLANDé STANDER, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD - CORRESPONDENT
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