For 17 years, the people who were dumped like human waste at Blikkiesdorp, Western Cape, by the DA government, had to sleep on sand and eat sand that seeped through the cracks in their tin houses. Some even died in the sand.
We are talking about 1,000 non-white families who were removed from Cape Town' surrounding areas (white suburbs) and dumped 25km away from Cape Town. These were backyard dwellers who were promised new homes by then mayor Dan Pluto and councillor Frank Martin.
Blikkiesdorp, nestled out of sight in Delft, was designated as a "temporary relocation area" but later became an informal settlement. There have been three national and provincial elections since the backyard dwellers were dumped at Blikkiesdorp, with no improvement in their living conditions.
In the run-up to the Fifa World Cup in 2010, thousands of homeless people were forced off the streets of Cape Town by the DA government to hide the scale of poverty. They were also brought to the human dump site called Blikkiesdorp.
The area has become a haven for crime. Crime statistics for July to September 2023 list Delft as the murder capital of SA. Poverty, unemployment, drug addictions and prostitution are rife in Blikkiesdorp.
Community members say after unfulfilled promises of previous mayors, the current Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill Lewis, hasn't bothered to visit them.
So much for DA's good governance.
Bushy Green, Kagiso
READER LETTER | Blikkiesdorp unveils the DA's uncaring governance
For 17 years, the people who were dumped like human waste at Blikkiesdorp, Western Cape, by the DA government, had to sleep on sand and eat sand that seeped through the cracks in their tin houses. Some even died in the sand.
We are talking about 1,000 non-white families who were removed from Cape Town' surrounding areas (white suburbs) and dumped 25km away from Cape Town. These were backyard dwellers who were promised new homes by then mayor Dan Pluto and councillor Frank Martin.
Blikkiesdorp, nestled out of sight in Delft, was designated as a "temporary relocation area" but later became an informal settlement. There have been three national and provincial elections since the backyard dwellers were dumped at Blikkiesdorp, with no improvement in their living conditions.
In the run-up to the Fifa World Cup in 2010, thousands of homeless people were forced off the streets of Cape Town by the DA government to hide the scale of poverty. They were also brought to the human dump site called Blikkiesdorp.
The area has become a haven for crime. Crime statistics for July to September 2023 list Delft as the murder capital of SA. Poverty, unemployment, drug addictions and prostitution are rife in Blikkiesdorp.
Community members say after unfulfilled promises of previous mayors, the current Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill Lewis, hasn't bothered to visit them.
So much for DA's good governance.
Bushy Green, Kagiso