Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the City of Cape Town will assist in the relocation of squatters living along the railway line in Philippi.
The land adjacent to the Central Line was invaded just before the Covid-19 lockdown and Prasa has so far failed to secure an eviction order against the unlawful occupiers.
About 800 shacks in Stock Road, Philippi, are set to be temporarily moved 10 metres from the railway line.
This was revealed during Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) hearing last Wednesday. This move would now allow trains to run on the Central Line again until a permanent solution is found.
Hill-Lewis says the City is working with Prasa and the Housing Development Agency (HDA) on relocation of the illegal occupation on the Central Line and to provide basic services to those residents when they’re relocated.
As much as R111 million in funding was sent to the City by National Human Settlements, and R50m was returned based on the human settlements minister’s desire for this to go towards land acquisition and central line relocations.
However, Hill-Lewis reiterated that the City has made it clear it will not be responsible for Prasa’s central line relocation programme.
“We are ready to play our part as the independent planning authority in line with the intergovernmental protocol agreement, [not for the]buying of land for another government entity. They are perfectly capable of buying it themselves, and this process is ongoing via the HDA,” he said. In March, Metrorail resumed service on the Langa-Nyanga line.
Meanwhile, the mayor is optimistic that the Central Line will soon be fully operational.
“We want to see trains running in our city, and that includes the devolution of passenger rail for the City to run in the best interests of commuters,” he concluded.
byron.luaks@inl.co.za