Dido Valley houses to redress apartheid forced removals

Cape Town – One hundred land claimants are set to benefit from the City’s flagship Dido Valley subsidised housing project in Simon’s Town.

Aimed at apartheid policy redress, 600 subsidised housing units will be made available upon completion, with 100 set aside for the Luyolo land claimants and 500 units for residents of the Red Hill informal settlement.

Mayco member for Human Settlements, Malusi Booi, said units will be handed over in batches, once practically complete, with the first handover anticipated in July. An expected 15-20 units will be rolled out per month thereafter.

“A total of 100 units was agreed on during the time when the Allocation Request Form for this project was deliberated and agreed upon. The number was based on verifications received from the Regional Land Claims Commission (RLCC),” said Booi.

Of the 100 land claimants, 79 have been verified by the RLCC and have been processed for inclusion in the Dido Valley project. Claimants were forcibly removed from Simon’s Town in the mid-1960s under the apartheid Group Areas Act, and displaced to Gugulethu.

On Wednesday, Booi with mayor Dan Plato visited the site situated between Dido Valley Road and Scala Road.

Plato said, “The R170 million project entails the construction of 600 subsidised houses. Not only will it empower beneficiaries as first-time homeowners, but it will also unite a community that was severed by apartheid policies.

“This is an example of redress and restitution in action and of our commitment to building a better future for those who bore the brunt of those policies. This project also enables and unlocks well-located, affordable housing in this area.”

A contractor is active on site with 12 units at double-storey height with a further 21 foundations nearing completion. A second contractor is expected to commence work on site next month.

The Land Claims Commission will facilitate the restitution process of the project, with the City allocating the remaining 500 units as part of the City’s Housing Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register.

[email protected]

Cape Argus