The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, the Luyolo land claimants, the Redhill informal settlement beneficiaries and other dignitaries, celebrated the progress made on the R170 million Dido Valley housing development in the Simon’s Town area. Not only is this a flagship redress and restitution project, but an important celebration of the rich heritage and diversity of Cape Town as Heritage Month draws to a close.
Councillor Booi was joined by the City’s Portfolio Committee for Human Settlements Chairperson, Councillor Beverley van Reenen, the Ward Councillor Simon Liell-Cock, Subcouncil Chairperson, Councillor Patricia Francke and Councillor Marlene Abrahams. Representatives of the Luyolo land claims group and Redhill beneficiaries also formed part of the group of dignitaries that attended this event.
The City is incredibly pleased with the progress that has been made with this affordable housing project despite the COVID-19 challenges as each day work is being done that takes the Luyolo land claimant and Redhill beneficiaries closer to the return to their land and of empowering them as first-time home owners.
The Luyolo land claimant beneficiaries were forcibly removed from Simon’s Town in the mid-1960s under the apartheid Group Areas Act. These beneficiaries were moved to Gugulethu.
This Breaking New Ground subsidy project also includes beneficiaries from the Red Hill informal settlement, which is located between Simon’s Town and Scarborough. The majority of the beneficiaries come from this informal settlement.
‘The R170 million project entails the construction of 600 subsidised houses. Not only will it empower beneficiaries as first-time homeowners, but it will also bring together a community that was severed by the apartheid policies. This is a tangible example of redress and restitution in action and of our commitment to building a better future for those who bore the brunt of the apartheid policies. This project also enables and unlocks affordable housing in this area and it is well located in respect of public transport and amenities. There have been challenges but we have overcome. It is indeed a special day and I thank our communities, City teams and project steering committees for the hard work and dedication to get this complex project off the ground and moving along. I join our beneficiaries in celebrating our diverse, but shared heritage in Cape Town and it is this shared heritage that makes us stronger and that will see this project through,’ said Councillor Booi.
The project has a combined support organisation representing the two groups of beneficiaries from Redhill and Luyolo respectively. The development is being done via a People’s Housing Programme process, in terms of which the beneficiary communities appoint and manage their own contractors. The Redhill contractor has already started to work on site, and the Luyolo contractor is currently being appointed.
The heritage of Simon’s Town is reflected in the street names approved for the project, with a number of the streets bearing the clan names of families that formed part of the Luyolo and Redhill communities, such as Mafuya, Cona, Somlotha, Lombo and Manzana Streets. Streets were also named after prominent people in the community such as Peter Clarke and Albert Thomas. The former was an internationally renowned artist and the latter an acclaimed academic and activist. They were both people of colour who were originally from Simon’s Town and overcame many odds to become recognised on the world stage.