Cape Town municipality sparks controversy in Salt River community

The City of Cape Town, known for its emphasis on reducing bureaucracy for small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship, has recently taken action to remove traders from the historic Salt River Market.

The City of Cape Town strikes against the poor

The City of Cape Town, frequently highlighting its efforts through the DA to streamline processes for small businesses and foster entrepreneurial endeavours, has discreetly initiated the eviction of traders from the renowned Salt River Market.

This action undermines the DA’S claim of not being anti-poor, as highlighted by Gasant Abarder in a recent #SliceofGasant column.

According to Cape Tow etc, in previous columns, numerous remarkable individuals with deep ties to Salt River are highlighted. 

Among the latest are entrepreneurs from the area, such as Native Grip, a fitness apparel company, and Y-Sport, specialising in team sports apparel.

Unfortunately, the upbeat narrative stops there. The City of Cape Town, under the governance of the Democratic Alliance (DA), has dealt a severe blow to the entrepreneurial spirit flourishing among the residents of Salt River.

 By initiating eviction proceedings against tenants of the Salt River Market, they’ve effectively declared war on the vital hub of small businesses within the community.

This eviction represents the most substantial blow in a series of measures by the City that adversely affect the less affluent. 

Among these measures is the City’s consideration of complaints regarding the call to prayer at the historic Tennyson Street mosque.

 However, the most blatant assaults on the Salt River community include:

• The City of Cape Town snubbing the recent Salt River Blackpool Football Club’s Cape Town Super 7s soccer festival, which comprises 272 teams from 80 clubs from all over the city, playing 798 matches. It had zero involvement and offered no support for this community event hosted by a 70-year-old football club.
• Eviction notices served on the traders from the Salt River Market.

Cape Town’s vacant housing pledge: Abundance of land, scarcity of homes

According to the City of Cape Town, over the past six years, they’ve allocated more than 32,000 square meters of land for social housing. 

However, civic organisations argue that fewer than 20 housing units have been constructed despite this allocation.

According to BusinessLive, in July 2017, the city revealed plans to utilise 11 public land parcels in the city centre, Woodstock, and Salt River for social and transitional housing development.

These sites include Pine Road, New Market Street, and Drury Street.

In July of the previous year, the city also proposed the allocation of land for two significant social housing initiatives: one in the Salt River Market precinct and another at the Pickwick Road site. 

 The Salt River location is slated to accommodate 216 social housing units within a nine-story mixed-use development. 

Meanwhile, the Pickwick Road site in Salt River aims to provide 600 social housing units within an eight-story development.

Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa, stating that he has not fulfilled his pledge to provide one million houses to the residents of Alexandra.

According to IOL, following the commitment made by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC-led government to construct houses for the residents of Alexandra under the “Alex Renewal Project,” there has been no visible progress, and the promised houses remain undelivered.