– Santa Centre residents deserve dignified housing, not political promises.
– The DA demands a lawful plan, clear timelines and title deeds.
– The DA will hold Sol Plaatje accountable and protect residents’ rights.
The Democratic Alliance demands that the housing commitments made to the residents of Santa Centre in Galeshewe, Kimberley, are delivered with dignity, fairness and due process, not used as a political ploy to win votes.
Residents have lived in Santa Centre, a former TB hospital settlement, for decades. They are recognised as legal tenants and receive municipal accounts but have never received title deeds.
Since around 2016, government acknowledged that their housing structures, only ever intended for temporary residence, are crumbling and unsafe, also promising residents better housing.
Despite these overdue promises, there has been no action taken until a few weeks ago when the municipality suddenly announced its intention to temporarily relocate residents and demolish the old structures, to pave the way for RDP houses. The timing, less than three months ahead of the Local Government Election, raises serious concerns that this is a rushed political move to win back community support following the expulsion of the ANC ward 13 councillor in June.
While residents are eager for better housing, the announcement lacks credibility with the lack of proper public participation and failure by Sol Plaatje to follow due process, raising serious red flags.
It is unfair for Sol Plaatje to expect residents to simply move from their brick-and-mortar homes, with flushing toilets, prepaid electricity and piped water, into five-sheet corrugated-iron shacks, potentially sharing toilets with multiple households and facing uncertain access to basic services, for an indefinite period, without any form of legal guarantee.
The DA is committed to ensuring fair and transparent housing delivery that empowers residents through ownership. We have therefore stepped in to protect Santa Centre residents throughout this housing project.
This is particularly necessary given government’s poor track record of delivering housing projects on time and within budget, and its persistent failure to ensure title deeds are handed to beneficiaries.
Following stakeholder consultation and a community meeting at Santa this week, the DA is insisting that the project must be properly reflected in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and be subjected to the necessary committee and Sol Plaatje Council approval processes.
Residents deserve more than promises. Sol Plaatje Municipality must provide a lawful, properly budgeted plan, confirm residents’ housing status and place on the National Housing Needs Register, and give clear timelines for relocation, new homes and title deeds, together with clear assurances on their rights and living conditions.
The DA will closely monitor these commitments and demand clear answers and documented plans. Residents must be treated with dignity and be better off as a result of this project, not worse off.