The Khayelitsha Development Forum has welcomed the findings of the Public Protector South Africa that the City of Cape Town failed to provide adequate basic municipal services to residents in parts of Khayelitsha and Langa.
Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka found that some of the city’s most vulnerable communities were not receiving adequate basic services, prompting calls for improvements.
Khayelitsha Development Forum chairperson Mawande Jara said residents continue to face poor sanitation, leaking water infrastructure and inadequate municipal services.
He said the findings reflect the lived reality of township communities and urged the City to act on the Public Protector’s recommendations.
“When you speak of two cities in one city, it is a true reality. If you go to affluent areas, and then compare them with the most impoverished areas, mostly occupied by Africans, you see there are inadequate services and security that you would not find in the more affluent areas,” Jara said.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town says it welcomes the Public Protector’s acknowledgement of the challenges municipalities face in providing free basic services without sufficient support from national government.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the City is already implementing measures to address the complex challenges associated with informal settlements and unlawful occupation.
“We further confirm that basic services are indeed provided on schedule at the N2 Gateway development, that security measures are in place at the clinics, and that the 10 families relocated as a result of a sewer collapse in Khayelitsha continue to receive basic services,” Badroodien said.
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