Mixed messages on Duncan Village de-densification project

The Duncan Village “de-densification” project will continue as planned after the Covid-19 lockdown.

This is despite  minister of human settlements, water & sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu distancing herself from reports that she ordered mass evacuations as a mitigation measure against the coronavirus.

The minister said she had not ordered mass relocations of people from informal settlements as a measure to flatten the Covid-19 curve in overcrowded townships.

“I have never done that, nor given any indication of that,” she said.

“I have been clear and consistent. I am working with NGOs that are close to informal settlements to guide the government on what we can do about the vulnerability of people in informal settlements.

“We are still in consultation with the NGOs and have not concluded our discussion. Nor have any plans been taken to the Covid-19 Command Council.

“The only thing that has been done by my office is send out a directive to suspend evictions as long as the country continues to work on mitigating the spread of Covid-19.”

In an interview with DispatchLIVE on April 1, Buffalo City mayor Xola Pakati said 2,000 Duncan Village residents would be temporarily relocated to mitigate Covid-19 and to allow the township's broken sewerage system to be overhauled.

The plan, which the mayor said he had submitted to Sisulu on April 2, would be implemented as soon as the lockdown comes to an end as construction contractors were not essential service.

On Thursday, Pakati's spokesperson Luzuko Buku said: “Nothing has changed in terms of what was communicated by the mayor.”

Sisulu's spokesperson McIntosh Polela  said the minister was not reneging on her commitment to “de-densify” Duncan Village.

He said: “The Duncan Village Redevelopment Initiative is an ongoing, multi-year presidential catalytic project and [it] has been undergoing planning and implementation through the inter-spherical support programme between Buffalo City Metro, the housing development agency and the national and provincial departments of human settlements.

"A number of land parcels and projects were identified and some already are at implementation stage.”

He said there was already an ongoing project of “relocation and implementation of 5,000 units in and around” Duncan Village.

DispatchLIVE reported in  January that this phase would cost the government R220m.

This amount was increased to R340m in March.

Polela said: “It should be noted that R340m covers a number of challenges, including provision of additional water points, additional toilet seats, water tanks, upgrading access roads and funding for a permanent solution for human settlements."

“In BCM the townships that are planned for the de-densification prioritisation are Duncan Village, Mdantsane  and others. [This is] informed by the informal settlements study that was undertaken in 2015.”

Asked for the names of the NGOs that Sisulu was working with — which she said would guide the department on “what we can do about the vulnerability of people in informal settlements” — Polela said: “We are working with 20 NGOs. We prefer not to name them.” — Additional reporting by TimesLIVE