Memorandum to the Mayor of Cape Town

MEMORANDUM TO THE MAYOR OF CITY OF CAPE TOWN

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the Western Cape

Email: abmwesterncape@abahlali.org
website: www.khayelitshastruggles.com

Dear Madam Mayor
Date: 22 October 2008

We (the shack dwellers of Khayelitsha) would like to bring our concerns into your attention and we note with great concerns that people who are living at informal settlements within the City of Cape Town are ignored and undermined by the City and we therefore call on the City of Cape Town:

1. To scrap its comprehensive plan for informal settlements (i.e. City’s Master Plan) as we believe that this is a top down approach and it undermines people’s right to participate meaning fully towards their development, and we oppose to one size fits all approach as carried by the plan.

2. To recognize all people that are living at informal settlements as legal occupants not as illegal occupants, as this does not give people a security of tenure and it allows Government to forcibly remove people to the dumping sites.

3. To upgrade all the informal settlements where they are, and we oppose DA housing policy/approach of one plot one house, this strategy is apartheid based and it forces lot of people outside well located land instead of keeping more people within the City

And we further demand that:

Ø All the bucket system must be phased out and Power flash toilets must be upgraded to pure flash system before 2009 elections.

Ø All the informal settlements must be electrified

Ø All the informal settlements must be serviced with water, toilets and with access roads

Ø City must directly talk to us not about us

Last but not least we call on City of Cape Town to release a detailed report of walk about informal settlements of Khayelitsha (which were: CH site C, DT opposite fire station at Site C, TR section Site B, VT Site B, VV Site B, WA Site B, WB Site B, TT Site B, UT Site B, XA Site B) which were conducted on the 16th of August 2008 with Dan Plato who is a Housing mayco member and his officials.

Abahlali baseMjondolo of the western Cape declares that:

No House! No Land! No Vote!