N2 Gateway
Encyclopedia
The N2 Gateway Housing Pilot Project is a large housebuilding project under construction in Cape Town
, South Africa
. It has been labeled by the national government's former Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu
as “the biggest housing project ever undertaken by any Government.” Even though it is a joint endeavor by the National Department of Housing, the provincial government of the Western Cape
and the City of Cape Town
, a private company, Thubelisha, has been outsourced to find contractors, manage,and implement the entire project. Thubelisha estimates that some 25,000 units will be constructed, about 70% of which will be allocated to shack-dwellers, and 30% to backyard dwellers on the municipal housing waiting lists. Delft
, 40 km outside of Cape Town
, is the main sites of the Project.
The N2 Gateway is a highly controversial project and has been criticised by the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
, by the South African Auditor General, by civil society organisations such as the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
, by Constitutional Court experts such as Pierre De Vos
and by affected residents themselves.
Its detractors claim that the N2 Gateway is a beautification project for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. They cite government documents prioritising the development in light of its visibility near to the Cape Town Airport. They also cite the mass evictions that have taken place moving shackdwellers off the N2 corridor into Delft.
residents were moved to Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) in Delft. After the January 2005 fire, which destroyed 3000 shacks and made 12,000 people homeless, Joe Slovo residents were promised priority in the allocation of N2 Gateway housing. The original plan was for 12,000 rental units to be built during Joe Slovo Phase 1 on the land taken during a massive fire in Joe Slovo in January 2005. Eventually, only 705 houses in that phase were built. It is reported that only one Joe Slovo resident was able to afford the flats whose rents skyrocked and forced new tenants into a year long rent boycott. The boycott has been supported by residents of Joe Slovo Informal Settlement, social movements, such as the Anti-Eviction Campaign, and civil society.
The Western Cape Housing MEC has recently admitted major structural defects to the Phase 1 flats saying that they may have to be demolished.
It is reported that residents who had willingly moved to Delft after the fire in 2005 have lost their jobs because they cannot afford transport into Cape Town and since there is no railway line in Delft.
After a Cape High Court ruling by controversial judge John Hlophe
in favor of the Government, many experts in constitutional law have claimed the ruling to be unjust and against the South African Constitution.
Since then, residents have appealed the decision and taken it to the South African Constitutional Court. In August 2008, about 200 Joe Slovo residents travelled by train, spent the night at the Methodist Church in Braamfontein, and arrived at the Constitutional Court to protest proposed evictions. They were accompanied in solidarity by the Anti-Eviction Campaign as well as residents from Symphony Way, an informal settlement that is also in conflict with the government over the N2 Gateway Housing Project.
The community law centre of the University of the Western Cape and the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
were admitted as friends of the court in support of Joe Slovo residents. Judgment in the case was reserved in August 2008.
On 10 June 2009, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the eviction of Joe Slovo residents but only based on certain conditions including that 70% of homes built on Joe Slovo land be allocated to Joe Slovo residents, that government must enter into consultation with residents, and that temporary relocation areas where residents were to be moved be of higher quality.
In August 2009, new Minister for Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, placed the eviction of residents on hold while Joe Slovo residents continued to resident evictions by making plans for doing development themselves.
In September 2009, reports surfaces that the Constitutional Court had quietly issued a new order suspending the eviction of Joe Slovo residents until further notice.
There are two Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) or transit camps that are connected to the N2 Gateway project in Delft.
The Delft TRA (nicknamed Tsunami and Thubelisha), which was originally built by the ANC-led City of Cape Town for Joe Slovo fire victims and is now managed by Thubelisha Homes on behalf of the National Government, has become a centerpiece of the N2 Gateway strategy. It houses shack-dwellers who have been forcibly or voluntarily moved from shack settlements such as those in Joe Slovo, Khayelitsha
, Crossroads, Nyanga
and Gugulethu. According to a study of Tsunami by the Development Action Group , the establishment of the Delft TRA:
According to DAG, in light of these costs and conditions, the policy intention is not achieved and the expense of establishing the TRA cannot be justified.
In 2007, Chris Harris, a professor in the department of geological sciences at UCT, found chrysotile and crocidolite (aka asbestos
) in material found in the Tsunami TRA.
The other TRA is the Symphony Way TRA which has nicknamed 'Blikkiesdorp
' (or 'Tin Can Town') by residents as well as pavement dwellers
from a nearby informal settlement. This TRA is built and managed by the DA-led City of Cape Town. Symphony Way TRA is criticised for its barbed-wire fencing, police-controlled access to the camp, and its erosion of social networks.
The Western Cape Housing MEC, Bonginkosi Madikizela, has admitted to serious defects in the N2 Gateway Phase 1 Flats saying that "Some of the units, it will not actually help to fix them. I think a possible solution which is something very difficult to do would be just to demolish the building you know and start afresh.
In September 2009, the UN affiliated Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
(COHRE) published a significant report criticising the N2 Gateway Project for its housing rights violations and for its lack of consulation with poor residents affected by the project.
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It has been labeled by the national government's former Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu
Lindiwe Sisulu
Lindiwe Nonceba Sisulu is a South African politician, member of parliament since 1994, member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress and Minister of Housing from 2004 to 2009, and Minister of Defence and Military Veterans since 2009.-Early life:Sisulu was born to ANC...
as “the biggest housing project ever undertaken by any Government.” Even though it is a joint endeavor by the National Department of Housing, the provincial government of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
and the City of Cape Town
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is the metropolitan municipality which governs the city of Cape Town, South Africa and its suburbs and exurbs. As of 2007, it had a population of 3,497,097....
, a private company, Thubelisha, has been outsourced to find contractors, manage,and implement the entire project. Thubelisha estimates that some 25,000 units will be constructed, about 70% of which will be allocated to shack-dwellers, and 30% to backyard dwellers on the municipal housing waiting lists. Delft
Delft, Cape Town
Delft is a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated next to the Cape Town International Airport, Belhar, Blue Downs & Site C, Khayelitsha. It is known for its high crime rate, substandard schools, lack of jobs, and numerous government built housing projects such as the...
, 40 km outside of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, is the main sites of the Project.
The N2 Gateway is a highly controversial project and has been criticised by the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions is a Geneva-based international non-governmental human rights organisation founded in 1994 by Scott Leckie as a foundation in the Netherlands .-Offices:...
, by the South African Auditor General, by civil society organisations such as the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
The Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is a non-racial popular movement made up of poor and oppressed communities in Cape Town, South Africa...
, by Constitutional Court experts such as Pierre De Vos
Pierre De Vos
Pierre de Vos is a South African constitutional law scholar.- Background and career :Born in Messina, Transvaal , he was educated at the University of Stellenbosch, Columbia University and the University of Western Cape...
and by affected residents themselves.
Its detractors claim that the N2 Gateway is a beautification project for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. They cite government documents prioritising the development in light of its visibility near to the Cape Town Airport. They also cite the mass evictions that have taken place moving shackdwellers off the N2 corridor into Delft.
Joe Slovo Phase 1
To make way for Joe Slovo Phase 1 (aka N2 Gateway Phase 1), about 1,000 Joe SlovoJoe Slovo (Cape Town)
Joe Slovo is an informal settlement in Langa, Cape Town. Like many other informal settlements, it was named after former housing minister and Anti-Apartheid activist, Joe Slovo...
residents were moved to Temporary Relocation Areas (TRAs) in Delft. After the January 2005 fire, which destroyed 3000 shacks and made 12,000 people homeless, Joe Slovo residents were promised priority in the allocation of N2 Gateway housing. The original plan was for 12,000 rental units to be built during Joe Slovo Phase 1 on the land taken during a massive fire in Joe Slovo in January 2005. Eventually, only 705 houses in that phase were built. It is reported that only one Joe Slovo resident was able to afford the flats whose rents skyrocked and forced new tenants into a year long rent boycott. The boycott has been supported by residents of Joe Slovo Informal Settlement, social movements, such as the Anti-Eviction Campaign, and civil society.
The Western Cape Housing MEC has recently admitted major structural defects to the Phase 1 flats saying that they may have to be demolished.
Joe Slovo Informal Settlement - Phase 2 & 3
With Phase 1 of the N2 Gateway completed, the National Government ordered the eviction of the remaining 20,000 shackdwellers to Temporary Relocation Areas in Delft (see section below). Joe Slovo residents have opposed government's order that they be forcibly removed. Residents refused to be moved claiming that the government was not getting rid of the slums but just moving them far away to Deflt where there are no jobs, few schools and a higher rate of crime.It is reported that residents who had willingly moved to Delft after the fire in 2005 have lost their jobs because they cannot afford transport into Cape Town and since there is no railway line in Delft.
After a Cape High Court ruling by controversial judge John Hlophe
John Hlophe
John Mandlakayise Hlophe is Judge President of the Western Cape High Court.-Background and career:...
in favor of the Government, many experts in constitutional law have claimed the ruling to be unjust and against the South African Constitution.
Since then, residents have appealed the decision and taken it to the South African Constitutional Court. In August 2008, about 200 Joe Slovo residents travelled by train, spent the night at the Methodist Church in Braamfontein, and arrived at the Constitutional Court to protest proposed evictions. They were accompanied in solidarity by the Anti-Eviction Campaign as well as residents from Symphony Way, an informal settlement that is also in conflict with the government over the N2 Gateway Housing Project.
The community law centre of the University of the Western Cape and the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions is a Geneva-based international non-governmental human rights organisation founded in 1994 by Scott Leckie as a foundation in the Netherlands .-Offices:...
were admitted as friends of the court in support of Joe Slovo residents. Judgment in the case was reserved in August 2008.
On 10 June 2009, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the eviction of Joe Slovo residents but only based on certain conditions including that 70% of homes built on Joe Slovo land be allocated to Joe Slovo residents, that government must enter into consultation with residents, and that temporary relocation areas where residents were to be moved be of higher quality.
In August 2009, new Minister for Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, placed the eviction of residents on hold while Joe Slovo residents continued to resident evictions by making plans for doing development themselves.
In September 2009, reports surfaces that the Constitutional Court had quietly issued a new order suspending the eviction of Joe Slovo residents until further notice.
Temporary Relocation Areas in Delft
The Delft TRA (nicknamed Tsunami and Thubelisha), which was originally built by the ANC-led City of Cape Town for Joe Slovo fire victims and is now managed by Thubelisha Homes on behalf of the National Government, has become a centerpiece of the N2 Gateway strategy. It houses shack-dwellers who have been forcibly or voluntarily moved from shack settlements such as those in Joe Slovo, Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha
Khayelitsha is a partially informal township in Western Cape, South Africa, located on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town. The name is Xhosa for New Home...
, Crossroads, Nyanga
Nyanga, Cape Town
Nyanga is a township in Cape Town, South Africa. Its name in Xhosa means ‘moon’ and it is one of the oldest black townships in Cape Town. It was established as a result of the migrant labor system. In the early fifties black migrants were forced to settle in Nyanga as Langa became too small. ...
and Gugulethu. According to a study of Tsunami by the Development Action Group , the establishment of the Delft TRA:
- Has increased vulnerability of the households affected by the Joe Slovo fire,
- Has heightened community conflict
- Has and has had a huge financial cost to the municipality and possibly also to other government departments.
According to DAG, in light of these costs and conditions, the policy intention is not achieved and the expense of establishing the TRA cannot be justified.
In 2007, Chris Harris, a professor in the department of geological sciences at UCT, found chrysotile and crocidolite (aka asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
) in material found in the Tsunami TRA.
The other TRA is the Symphony Way TRA which has nicknamed 'Blikkiesdorp
Blikkiesdorp
Symphony Way Temporary Relocation Area in Delft, Cape Town, better known by its nickname Blikkiesdorp, is a relocation camp made-up of corrugated iron shacks...
' (or 'Tin Can Town') by residents as well as pavement dwellers
Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers
Symphony Way Informal Settlement is a small community of pavement dwellers that have been living on Symphony Way, a main road in Delft, South Africa, since February 2008...
from a nearby informal settlement. This TRA is built and managed by the DA-led City of Cape Town. Symphony Way TRA is criticised for its barbed-wire fencing, police-controlled access to the camp, and its erosion of social networks.
Criticism
The N2 Gateway Housing Project has been mired in controversy. The Auditor General Report on the project found mismanagement and widespread deficiencies in the planning, accounting, design, construction, and execution of the housing development project.The Western Cape Housing MEC, Bonginkosi Madikizela, has admitted to serious defects in the N2 Gateway Phase 1 Flats saying that "Some of the units, it will not actually help to fix them. I think a possible solution which is something very difficult to do would be just to demolish the building you know and start afresh.
In September 2009, the UN affiliated Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions is a Geneva-based international non-governmental human rights organisation founded in 1994 by Scott Leckie as a foundation in the Netherlands .-Offices:...
(COHRE) published a significant report criticising the N2 Gateway Project for its housing rights violations and for its lack of consulation with poor residents affected by the project.
Photographs of the Projects and Affected Communities
Reports on the N2 Gateway
- 2009 Report on the N2 Gateway by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
- Western Cape Housing Crisis: Writings on Joe Slovo and Delft by Martin LegassickMartin LegassickMartin Legassick is an eminent and world renowned South African historian and a lifelong activist.Legassick was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1940. In 1947 he and his parents emigrated to South Africa. In 1960 he became a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford...
, February 2008 - Housing and Evictions at the N2 Gateway Project in Delft by Kerry Chance, May 2008
- The global governance response to informal settlements – relieving or deepening marginalisation? by Marie HuchzermeyerMarie HuchzermeyerMarie Huchzermeyer is an academic and public intellectual at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.-Books:...
- Auditor-General: Report on the Special Audit of the N2 Gateway Project at the National Department of Housing by Auditor-GeneralAuditor-GeneralThe Auditor-General is an office established by the 1996 Constitution of South Africa and is one of the Chapter nine institutions intended to support democracy, although its history dates back at least 95 years ....
- The Reverse Side of the Medal: About the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Beautification of the N2 in Cape Town by Caroline Newton in Urban Forum
See also
- Joe Slovo Informal Settlement
- Symphony Way
- DelftDelft, Cape TownDelft is a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated next to the Cape Town International Airport, Belhar, Blue Downs & Site C, Khayelitsha. It is known for its high crime rate, substandard schools, lack of jobs, and numerous government built housing projects such as the...
- N2 Gateway occupationsN2 Gateway occupationsThe N2 Gateway Occupations saw large numbers of government-built houses occupied illegally by local residents of Delft in the Western Cape during December, 2007. The houses in question were the new Breaking New Ground houses in the Symphony section of Delft near the main road Symphony Way...