Prasa remains tight-lipped on its plans to relocate the squatters currently occupying the Central Line.
Mense illegally built shacks on top of the railway line after train services came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The structures were erected at Langa, Philippi and Khayelitsha train stations.
Prasa is currently reviving the railway system, and removing the occupiers. They have already relocated hundreds of families to a piece of land behind the Stock Road transport hub in Philippi.
It is alleged that the agency is now planning to acquire land from a private owner in Macassar as another possible site for relocation.
Last month it was reported that Prasa intends to relocate 2000 families to Macassar.
The news had residents up in arms, with ward councillor Peter Helfrich saying that it goes against commitments made with Prasa’s implementing agent, the Housing Development Agency (HDA).
In August 2022, Prasa and the HDA attended a meeting where Macassar residents insisted that any negotiations regarding relocation to their area would be discussed with them first.
“Residents have voiced sentiments of betrayal, alleging that they were deceived by Prasa and the HDA, as they were not apprised of these developments in accordance with the promised transparency,” Helfrich says.
He said that no further public meetings took place and that residents have since handed over a petition with over 2600 signatures, objecting to the relocation.
“Since the submission of the petition and the public meeting, residents have not received any further communication from Prasa or the HDA,” Helfrich says.
Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said yesterday that the Central Line Relocation Project Steering Committee would make “an official comment on the matter in due course”.
Jackson Kondili, a community leader from the Eyadini informal settlement in Philippi says the move will be opposed.
“That is never going to happen because the children attend school here and all of the people are working here.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za