Government says it hopes to move people occupying the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) train tracks in Phillipi on the Cape Flats to a new location within three weeks.
The train services have not been able to operate as many of the structures are placed on the railway tracks.
All stakeholders have agreed that as a temporary measure, the City of Cape Town and the Department of Human Settlement will conclude a feasibility study at the Stock Road Station where the people are to be relocated.
While there are disputes on the purchase of land for permanent re- settlement, all are happy that the railway line will soon be re- opened.
Prasa CEO Hishaam Emeran says, “Starting next week we are looking at engineering works and we are targeting three weeks.”
Related video: Prasa removes land occupiers on the rail tracks in Langa and Philippi;
Human Settlements Minister, Mamoloko Kubayi says she has declared a dispute with the City of Cape Town in terms of the Inter-Governmental Relations Framework Act.
This is in relation to the city’s refusal to purchase land on behalf of the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to permanently resettle about 900 households illegally occupying land belonging to Prasa.
She says they had allocated R50 000 to the city to purchase the land but that they had returned it to National Treasury.
” When we asked the National Treasury to send the money to us, so that we can give it to HDA they refused because it is part of the equitable share, and they do the study we put the services there so that the people are permanently resettled.”
