Statement by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille
Design-led thinking and upgrades improve lives of Flamingo
Crescent residents
Note to editors: this is an extract from the address delivered by the City’s
Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at the launch of the re-blocking project in
Flamingo Crescent earlier today.
Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Benedicta
Van Minnen,
City councillors and officials,
Our partners, the South African Shack Dwellers International Alliance,
The Informal Settlement Network,
The Community Organisation Resource Centre,
iKhayalami,
Habitat for Humanity South Africa,
The Centre for Early Childhood Development,
The steering committee and community of Flamingo Crescent,
All other partners,
It gives me great pleasure to be here today and to welcome you to the
launch of the re-blocking project in Flamingo Crescent.
This community has come a long way with the City of Cape Town, and while
the journey was not always easy, today we celebrate the success of our
partnership.
In 2012, the City piloted the re-blocking project with the aim of improving the
living conditions of people in informal settlements while they wait for housing.
Re-blocking is a community-based process whereby housing structures are
reorganised or clustered in a way that facilitates access by emergency and
other vehicles, creating safe spaces between structures, improving service
delivery, and fostering a sense of increased community cohesion.
It is an initiative that uses design-led thinking to upgrade living conditions and
improve safety in informal settlements.
There are currently more than 200 informal settlement areas in the City of
Cape Town, varying in size and density.
The organic structure of informal settlements often makes it difficult to provide
municipal utility services such as water, sanitation, electricity and waste
removal in line with national guidelines.
The high density of informal settlements and the use of flammable building
materials also places them at greater risk of rapidly spreading fires. This is
exacerbated by the difficulties that fire and emergency vehicles experience
when trying to access these areas.
Communities where re-blocking projects have been completed have
therefore experienced significant changes in their everyday lives as a result of
improved provision of services, access roads, and better built structures and
facilities.
One of the most critical aspects of the re-blocking process is the partnerships
that have enabled these projects to be a success.
Once a re-blocking plan is agreed on by the community, the City, and its
partners, data is collected from residents. The re-blocked layout of the area is
then planned and mapped.
Community buy-in is absolutely crucial as we need to find out from
communities what their needs and challenges are before the project can go
ahead.
In Flamingo Crescent, the City and its partners the South African Shack
Dwellers International Alliance, the Informal Settlement Network, the
Community Organisation Resource Centre, iKhayalami, Habitat for Humanity
South Africa, the Centre for Early Childhood Development and others, as well
as residents, have invested over R2,6 million in the re-blocking project to
improve living conditions for the 102 households.
The community started saving in 2012 and has contributed 20% to each reblocked and upgraded structure.
Before the re-blocking commenced, the community shared 14 chemical
toilets and two taps and had no access to electricity.
Structures consisted of a patchwork of old wood, cardboard, plastic and
aluminum pieces – materials that posed a continuous fire hazard in summer,
while flooding and drainage problems consistently challenged residents
during winter.
Since the completion of the re-blocking process, there have been no reports
of fires or flooding in Flamingo Crescent. It is no longer an overcrowded,
inaccessible and unsafe place.
Flamingo Crescent now has upgraded structures, paved roads and a 1:1
ratio of water, sanitation (flush toilets) and electricity services.
The City funded the installation of these basic services, as well as refuse
collection services and roadworks, at a cost of over R2 million.
The Centre for Early Childhood Development donated funds to build a
crèche. The community drew up plans for the crèche with the support of the
Worcester Polytechnic Institute from the United States.
One of the most noteworthy success stories of this project is the fact that,
when it first started, 90% of the community was unemployed. However, with
the help of partners, residents started recycling, created small tuck shops,
and found various forms of employment in order to contribute to improving
the area.
As an opportunity city, we were also able to employ 20 members of the
community during the construction phase through the City’s Expanded
Public Works Programme.
Work on this project moved at an impressive pace as civil works started less
than a year ago in April 2014 and by August, 75 of the 102 structures had
already been rebuilt.
Final touches are now being made to the Early Childhood Development
Centre, to be called the Little Paradise Educare Centre.
This and other re-blocking projects are examples of the City’s commitment to
redress through improved service delivery.
So far we have completed successful re-blocking projects in Mtshini Wam
(Milnerton) and Kuku Town in Kensington.
These projects succeeded because the community took ownership and
shared the responsibility with the City and its partners.
I am pleased to know that the community of Flamingo Crescent has done
the same, and I would like to thank you, and our partners, for your
contribution in making this a success. By working together, we can make
progress possible.
I ask that you take good care of your surroundings and work with the City to
ensure that the facilities and services are maintained.
Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.