CAPE TOWN - Service delivery attempts in Dunoon have been halted by criminal elements who intimidate, threaten, burn and engage in violent protests in the area, the City of Cape Town said.
In a statement released on Monday, Alderman Felicity Purchase, a member of the mayoral committee for transport, said the situation had become unbearable and was disrupting a major construction project and bringing about delays in road maintenance and the sabotage of MyCiTi bus services.
Purchase said the province was already facing an economic threat due to Covid-19 and the City’s resources were stretched to the limit.
“Every cent must be spent wisely and the return on investment must be reflected in the improvement of service delivery on the ground.”
She said those destroying infrastructure were delaying service delivery projects and were “taking food off the table of the most vulnerable among us” because money meant for uplifting communities was now being spent on replacing assets that had been destroyed during violent protests.
On June 20, two MyCiTi buses were torched on Potsdam Road, as was the Omuramba station.
Contractors working on the new minibus taxi facility in Dunoon have been threatened continuously, which has delayed project delivery, costing the City money and leaving commuters stranded without safe, decent transport.
Road maintenance that was expected to resume on June 17 has been halted because of ongoing violence by criminals who are intimidating the workers and threatening to demolish their equipment. Work cannot continue on site because the contractors are not wiling to put the lives of their workers at risk.
This project was intended to resurface eight of the community’s busiest roads, including Nkunkwana Road, Thandabantu Road, Denneboom Avenue, sections of Dumani Road, sections of Usasaza Road, sections of Siyabonga Street, Nomzamo Road and Ngena Street.
“The work will take only two weeks to complete, yet we cannot go ahead due to the volatility.
“The local ward councillor in Dunoon has been briefed about this project and fully supports it, as do local community leaders, the broader community and the Dunoon Taxi Association,” Purchase said.
She said business owners were concerned about effect of the protests on their businesses and the implications for future private investment in the area.
“I call on residents from Dunoon to please assist us to get these projects going and to support our efforts in providing services that will benefit them greatly,” Purchase said.
She asked for anyone with information about the attacks on the MyCiTi service and other projects to report this to the police or contact the transport information centre on 0800 65 64 63.