Cape Town - The Central Line Relocation and Recovery Project Management Committee (PMC) says no land has been acquired in Macassar for the relocation of occupants unlawfully living on train lines.
This after it was claimed that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) intended relocating unlawful occupants from the central railway line to Macassar.
The speculation caused outrage among Macassar residents, whoopposed the plan.
But the PMC, which was set up to co-ordinate the relocation process, said no land had been acquired for the second phase of the process.
The PMC consists of multiple role-players, including the Housing Development Agency (HDA) as the lead implementing agency, Prasa and the City of Cape Town.
Hundreds of families have already been relocated during phase 1, to a piece of land situated behind the Stock Road transport hub in Philippi.
The PMC issued a statement on Thursday, confirming that it was aware of various reports in the media relating to the land acquisition process.
In the statement, the PMC said no land had been acquired for phase 2, as the committee, through the HDA, was still identifying suitable land and considering various land parcels, including state-owned land.
“The Macassar land parcels have also been previously explored as a possible viable option. However, no acquisition has been concluded.
“Public participation will then be undertaken according to the legislated processes, as followed on the phase 1 Philippi Wedge area land parcels, during which the relevant and affected communities will be consulted,” the PMC said.
Residents in Ward 109 in Macassar previously invited Prasa to a public meeting and handed them a petition expressing their opposition to the relocation of occupants to the area.
Community activist Waseemah Flaendorp claimed that Prasa was breaking an undertaking it had made in 2022.
“Back in 2022, they assured us that they would prioritise engaging with our community before moving forward with this land acquisition.
“Yet, here we are, witnessing their unilateral actions without as much as a courtesy consultation,” she said.
The PMC said it followed all consultation protocols required at various stages of the relocation to ensure that the process was inclusive.
Meanwhile, the relocation of over 5 000 households has not started, as Prasa was still busy with the rehabilitation of the central line.
The PMC noted that there were not many land parcels suitable to meet the needs of the process, and the longer the railway line was not operating, the more residents suffered financially due to exorbitant transport costs.