In-Situ 
The Migration Process From An Informal Settlement To Formal Housing
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Hout Bay
Civic Association |
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Councillor
Dan Plato |
Cape Town Mayor
Helen Zille |
Sixteen years ago was the last housing development in Hangberg fishing village in Hout Bay and as a result the living conditions became worst and people lived in unexplainable conditions. There were no proper sewerage, electricity and water services and over the years the City of Cape Town provided these basic services to the community after immense pressure from Hout Bay Civic Associations (previously Hout Bay Action Committee).
HBCA have been engaging the City for the last three years to come up with a solution for the more than 500 informal houses in the area.
Tonight 27 November 2006 at Hangberg Civic Centre 18H30 Cape Town Mayor, Mrs Helen Zille, Councillor Dan Plato, Mayoral Committee member for Housing and Mr. Basil Davidson, City of Cape Town Head of Land would address the Hangberg community on the upgrading of the Hangberg informal settlement.
A concerned
Timothy Jacobs
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Mr. Timothy Jacobs, chairperson the Hout Bay Civic Association says, “They fully support the proposed in-situ development, a development that should have been implemented years ago.
They appeal to all residents that if we need to make this a success that no additional informal structures should be erected because it could have a negative effect on the in-situ development.
Furthermore, that the timber frame structures that the City intends to build in Hangberg should have similar building regulations as Clifton, in order to a uniform architectural theme.
The first step should be formal addresses and title deeds to the current occupants in the informal houses.
If the title deeds are achieved HBCA could approach the banks and other financial institutions for financial assistance and owners can offer the property for security. This is only achievable if the National, Provincial and Local government allows in-situ development with property title.”
Mr. Jacobs said there may be a problem for banks to give loans if there is a time limit on the sale of the property in the event of loan default i.e. if the owners can’t sell for say 5 years, then the bank cannot get its money back for 5 years if there is a default.
We would want to ensure that Gentrification does not take place in the Secondary Housing Sales, which would lead to a break-up of the proud Hangberg Community Heritage. A mechanism is needed so that Sellers offer to a Hangberg resident or an approved relative of a resident. If no resident or relative is interested then the property should be sold to a Trust, which would warehouse the property until an approved buyer comes along.
Mr. Jacobs continues, “ broad-based economic empowerment and job creation of our historical disadvantaged fishing community is priority for this development and the development should allow for the automatic zoning of B&B’s, restaurants, coffee- shops and retail trade which should include the involvement of the Hout Black Business Opportunities Forum (HBBOF).”
The plan would include a one-way road between the informal houses and at the bottom of Sentinel mountain with parking bays for Hangberg property owners, visitors alike and emergency services.
Mr. Jacobs explains that, “Clifton is very popular and very expensive even without allocated parking on Victoria Road so the proposed parking will be very good for Hangberg timber homes values. We need as much parking for residents and tourists. Poor parking considerations will lead to parking chaos like in Clifton and Camps Bay in summer. The road at the top should be a scenic drive to draw tourists through Hangberg.”
Gregg Louw
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Mr. Gregg Louw the Chief Executive Officer of HBBOF says, “The in-situ development is not a short term solution but a plan for 2010 and far beyond. Tourists would visit Hangberg if the village were a tourist friendly and orientated to the attractions of a Cape Fishing Village. HBBOF members in the tourism sector are launching a website to promote Hangberg in the month of December 2006. This we would discuss with the Western Cape Minister of Tourism, MEC Lynne Brown at HBCA’s newsletter, Hout Bay Speaks, fundraising on Friday 1 December and also with the City’s Tourism Directorate, Cape Town Routes Unlimited and Cape Town Tourism. Hangberg residents interested in community based tourism have attended three City of Cape Town workshops on community based tourism so far and this need to continue.”
Mr. Jacobs said that it is all bout responsible tourism and having recently completed a responsible tourism course under a partnership of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Western Cape Tourism Department and the International Centre for Responsible Tourism he is very excited.
This could be a major step of a community, government and private sector partnership.
Tourism would be implemented in a responsible way to create a competitive advantage for the promotion of balanced and sustainable tourism and focus on the development of environmentally based tourism.
This would be an investment and respect of the people of Hangberg’s culture and heritage and protect it from over commercialisation and over exploitation.
“A home is a womb of hope”, ended Mr. Jacobs.
Monday 27 November 2006
At the community meeting on Monday 27 November 2006, City of Cape Town Mayor, Mrs. Hellen Zille told the residents from Hangberg that this a pilot project and if it succeeds than the rest of South Africa can learn from it.
The importance would be that the community are united and petty issues should not be used to derail the process.
She stated that the view and the location of the area are so magnificent and people would do anything to stay here. The community have something to be proud of.
Councillor Dan Plato, City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member responsible for Housing informed residents that the Mayor, himself and the community leaders, Development Action Group and City officials on the Development Committee would meet every quarter to discuss the progress and report back to the community.
The first application for development would be submitted at the end of January 2007.
The first Development Committee meeting would take place in the week of 6 December 2006.
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