Read this letter by Rob Small of Abalimi Bezekhaya in Cape Town - which has helped thousands of micro farmers set themselves up on land in Philippi - to Mayco Councillor Gareth Bloor. This land is now threatened by the city, which is set to allow urban development here. Dear Cllr Gareth Regarding your letter in the Cape Times today Thursday 25th July 2013. None of us need to have it explained to us that Cape Town’s population has grown radically. Nor that the City has a responsibility for housing. Nor must we be instructed that private property ownership in the PHA must be respected. It is also perfectly obvious from the debate so far, that the prime agricultural land that Mayco want to hand to developers is “only a portion” of the PHA. These facts are well known, sir. Clearly you intend to deflect the real question which we are all asking : why prime agricultural land in PHA? Why not the marginal land, also in PHA? And, most of all, why PHA at all ? Serious, qualified, respectable experts in the city have pointed out that there is plenty of room elsewhere, and in other innovative ways, all tested worldwide, to provide good starter housing. The one thing you write that many may not know is that Mayco intends to pass the buck to Province and National, as due process requires. This is supposed to provide checks and balances ! But what I find most outstandingly strange and odd, is that you say “the city cannot dictate to landowners” in PHA ! And why ever not, Cllr Bloor ? When the PHA is already a protected area and the City has the OBLIGATION – which it has ignored for decades - to prevent non-agricultural development in the PHA? But of course you now have the precedent of the Rapicorp-COSATU deal in 2011/12, where Mayco already handed nearly 500 hectares of prime agricultural land to developers, against all sensible and realistic objections from both within, and outside, the City Government. The Rapicorp-Cosatu deal, after the initial furore, then went virtually underground into the mysterious and opaque hidden official process (checks and balances), driven no doubt by key politicians from above, to ensure they get what they want. And Viola! …. the first 500 hectares of prime agricultural land has now been successfully handed over to developers. Fortunately for those of us in favour of a Sustainable City 2014 and beyond, there is some sort of big money fight in the COSATU investment fund (yay!!) which affects that Rapicorp development of that ill-gotten 500-odd prime hectares and progress has for the moment been stalled. In this case, I pray God that the money grubbers continue fighting and stealing from each other ! I feel sure you and your friends in Mayco fully intend to do the same with the current land-grab deal, as you did with the Rapicorp-COSATU deal. The public, after all, have such short memories, dont they? The current small group of whistle blowers will exhaust themselves. The initial furore is bound to die back, and there are not really many people who have the guts to take you and your mates on, are there? Further, we don’t have the resources, like you do, to track and challenge the hugely complicated process of approval from here to Pretoria, do we? So you believe you will get what you want in the end. But please, take heed - the Save PHA campaign is just getting started. 2014 and Design City of the Year is around the corner. We intend to have at least 5000 competent but land hungry black urban farmers on your case soon, to whom you talk down to from your ivory tower, apparently completely disconnected from your constituency - us!! Wake up Cllr Garreth Bloor and friends in Mayco, wake up. We smell something very “fishy” going on in Mayco. Next up on the horizon, after the silly “toilet war” you yourselves earned by ignoring many obvious signs which even I could see on the ground as I go among the townships, is the battle for food and water, without which even you cannot do without. Earnest, sincere and solemn regards Rob Small Co-founder and director resource mobilization- Abalimi Bezekhaya abalimi.org.za , Harvest of Hope harvestofhope.co.zaand Farm and Garden National Trust farmgardentrust.org .
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:08:43 +0000
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