Cape Town community leaders have reiterated their commitment to assist law enforcement agencies to expose people that seek to take advantage of genuine grievances, while ensuring order is restored within the affected communities.
The commitment was made during a meeting with Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Thursday.
Sisulu met with the community leaders of Khayelitsha and surrounding areas which have been affected by recent land invasions and evictions in the City of Cape Town, as per her undertaking during her department’s 2020/2021 Budget Vote speech on Tuesday.
The meeting aimed to understand the underlying causes of the recent spates of land invasion, evictions and violence in the City of Cape Town.
Sisulu emphasised that government needs to understand the mushrooming of violence and unrest affecting the people of South Africa.
“Where such cases are legitimate, the government responds positively and where they are frivolous, the government has a duty to restore order,” Sisulu said.
Sisulu said that there has been a lot of displacements of people due to loss of work and ultimately income because of COVID-19 pandemic, noting that such displacement is not of people’s choosing.
The Minister said that the department has put measures in place to cater for people who have lost income and cannot pay for their rent.
“We have currently limited this assistance to those in social housing, and the department will look into various ways and possibilities of extending this help to those outside this category,” Sisulu said.
She added that she will also consult various ministers and other levels of government in order to find ways to deal with landlessness of people who are looking to stay closer to economic opportunities.
Speaking after the meeting, Sisulu said the community leaders have also committed not to make any more disruptions, and to work together with her, to find lasting solutions to their challenges.
Although the leaders did not rule out rogue elements who may seek to take advantage of the legitimate needs of the people, the Minister said they’ve committed to assist law enforcement agencies to expose the culprits. – SAnews.gov.za
