We Will Take Over the Houses if there is No Answer to Our Demands
by Kliptown Concerned Residents – Anti-Privatisation Forum Friday, Apr 18
phone: 00 27 (0) 73 8961 353 or 00 27 (0) 83 8591 654

Kliptown residents march over non-delivery of housing

The Kliptown Concerned Residents will be marching on the 19th April 2008 at 10h00 to the old Pimville Golf Course housing development. The community will be gathering at Battery Centre then proceed to Union Road at 11h00 and this follows a series of attempted engagements with the various Government Housing Officials and many stakeholders within Kliptown.

The residents are boiling with anger at the non-delivery of houses in Kliptown and the unaccountable ward councillors who fail to address the needs of the community. A petition was signed by the residents and handed over to the relevant authorities on the 11th August 2007. But there were no answers on the petition that called for the resignation of the useless ward councillor in the community. Various meetings with the housing department officials haven’t yielded any positive results and there are no clear answers on when development will take place in the area. The KCR demands that the Kliptown Ward Councillors must be recalled immediately and there must be bi-elections in the area as they have failed to deliver for the poor.

Another problem is the recognised structures (Greater Kliptown Development Forum) by the Government that is not recognised by the community. The structure is undemocratic (it hasn’t held an Annual General Meeting in many years since its existence) and there have been no consultative processes with the community. The residents demand that the structure be disbanded and a new community structure be elected in order to ensure community control.

There was a People’s Inspection in Kliptown on the 06th February 2008, that explored the living conditions of the community and again the government officials failed to attend the meeting. It is clear that the situation in Kliptown is taken for granted hence anger is boiling on a daily basis. The residents plan a peaceful march and the situation will explode if they are ignored by the government.