Ocean View residents are frustrated!

AEC Solidarity Press Release
Venue: Meeting at Ocean View Multi Purpose Centre
Date/Time: Wednesday night — 28 April 2010 —-7:30pm

The Ocean View flats are totally overcrowded, as is the Atlantic Heights informal settlement. People are frustrated at having been promised housing for years but nothing has ever been delivered.

The people are sick and tired of what the flats committee is doing. People need to put bungalows in the yards because 12-15 people stay in one bedroom here but the Flats Committee then calls the law enforcement to break down the bungalows.

People are frustrated about the promised housing project in nearby Mountain View. Mayor Dan Plato promised last November to start building it within three months. But nothing at all has happened since then. They said they would consider hundreds of backyard dwellers who live in Ocean View.

Silvertown Anti-Eviction Campaign will also be attending the meeting.

Please call Ralph Reynolds for more info on 073 6165683

CHATA: City’s no permit, no trading doctrine is a threat to trader livelihoods

Mitchell’s Plain Concerned Hawkers and Traders Association
Press Release – 28 February 2010

Event: Mitchell’s Plain and Cape Town Station traders march to Parliament
Date/Time: 2 March, 2010 at 10h00 (assemble at 08h30)
Location: Kaizergracht to the front of Parliament

On Friday, 26 of February 2010, a police officer went around handing out a notice to all informal traders in Mitchell’s Plain Town Centre (click to read notice) that may result in the eventual eviction and loss of space to trade for about 500 CHATA members.

In other words, if the so-called ‘trading plan’ is followed through, 500 people will have had their main source of income destroyed.  This will have an additional negative impact on about 3,000 family members of the traders who rely on that income and also result in job losses for countless other informal workers such as porters, night-time security guards, drivers, etc.  The total negative economic impact of this draconian restructuring of Town Centre on poor residents of Mitchell’s Plain is enormous.  It will even result in higher prices for consumers.  Only formal businesses like Shoprite and Pick n’ Pay stand to benefit.

Media: Angry hawkers to march

2010-02-20 06:29:00 – Voice of the Cape

Irate Mitchells Plain traders will stage a mass march in the CBD next week to protest the City of Cape Town’s new by-law on informal trading, which aims to regulate the sector. The by law came into effect in November and uses a permit system to manage the trading of hawkers. However, traders at Mitchell’s Plain Town Centre believe the system is being deployed to evict hawkers, who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Eviction worry for MP traders

2010-01-27 05:42:24 – VOCFM

The Mitchells Plain Concerned Hawkers and Traders Association (CHATA) have expressed concern about threats by law enforcement officials to continue evicting informal traders. This follows an earlier decision by the City of Cape Town to halt the eviction of traders from the Town Centre last year. According to Mischka Cassiem, spokeswoman for CHATA, some of the traders who had relocated to the new trading area in Mitchells Plain have now moved back to the Mitchells Plain Town Centre to trade there because they found that the new trading area did not cater to their needs.

Media: Security beefed up as Plato continues tour of troubles

November 20, 2009 Edition 1
Quinton Mtyala – Cape Times

A DAY after being slapped by an angry woman during his surprise visit to troubled Blikkiesdorp, Mayor Dan Plato was again meeting people in an impoverished corner of Cape Town, but with a beefed-up security detail.

Media: Police chief warns politicians wanting to visit Blikkiesdorp

November 23, 2009 Edition 1
Caryn Dolley – Cape Times

Politicians planning to visit Blikkiesdorp, the temporary relocation settlement in Delft, should first let the SAPS know for safety reasons, the area’s police commissioner has warned.

Issuing the warning, Commissioner Basil Vellai said the area was “a housing time-bomb” that threatened to explode and criminals were preying on the impoverished residents of Blikkiesdorp.

Opinion: Blinkers dorp

November 23, 2009 Edition 1 – Cape Times

CAPE TOWN mayor Dan Plato’s response to the angry residents of Blikkiesdorp does him no credit.

On a visit to the site last week, all the mayor could find to say to those complaining of conditions in Blikkiesdorp was that in fact the settlement was “among the best” of its kind in the city.

Western Cape Informal Traders picket in front of Dan Plato’s office tomorrow morning

CHATA Press Alert
23 November 2009

Concerned Hawkers and Traders Association of Mitchell’s Plain will be protesting outside Mayor Dan Plato’s office tomorrow (Tuesday) from 9am until 1pm as part of the Western Cape Informal Traders Coalition.

The Western Cape Informal Traders Coalition is a grouping of hawkers and traders organisations from all over the Western Cape.  Members will assemble at the Civic Centre by the Mayor’s office on Hertzog Blvd at 09h00 and are scheduled to present a list of demands to the mayor.  Plato has agreed to come and accept our memorandum.  All informal traders in the province are invited to participate.

Media: Visiting Blikkiesdorp risky for politicians

By Caryn Dolley – IOL

Politicians planning to visit Blikkiesdorp, the temporary relocation settlement in Delft, should first let the SAPS know for safety reasons, the area’s police commissioner has warned.

Issuing the warning, Commissioner Basil Vellai said the area was “a housing time-bomb” that threatened to explode and criminals were preying on the impoverished residents of Blikkiesdorp.

Plato beefs up security detail [and denies getting klapped]

By Quinton Mtyala

A day after being smacked by an angry resident during a surprise visit to troubled Blikkiesdorp, Mayor Dan Plato was again meeting residents in an impoverished corner of Cape Town, but this time with a beefed-up security detail.

Instead of jeers, his visit to areas in Philippi was greeted with indifference.

And despite this reporter witnessing the physical assault on him on Wednesday, Plato denied on Thursday he was ever “klapped” and said instead it was one of his bodyguards who had been smacked by a woman.

To a complaint from community leaders at a Brown’s Farm hall that water had been switched off to some residents in the developed area of Brown’s Farm, Plato said: “The city council does not switch off water, once people get their pink slips their water is put on a trickle system.”