Cape Town housing project halted as residents protest lack of job opportunities

Protesters demanding jobs brought the Symphony Way housing project in Cape Town to a halt on Wednesday. The protesters, from Delft, are demanding that 80% of the work on the project be given to people from their area.

The development is a partnership between the City of Cape Town and Airports Company South Africa (Acsa). Beneficiaries are from the Blikkiesdorp, Malawi Camp and Freedom Farm informal settlement.

Protesters said since the project started in March they had been negotiating with the contractor and the City of Cape Town asking to be considered for employment.

Three community leaders had been chosen to negotiate on behalf of the residents.

But the City of Cape Town was awarded an interim interdict on 1 June by the Western Cape high court interdicting the three delegates Nonceba Saliyabo, Nothemba Klassen and Lennox May, and anyone else “attempting to prohibit the installation” of services from entering the site, or blocking the entrance.

When GroundUp arrived on Wednesday, protesters were on the site, forcing workers to stop working. They later moved outside and started singing at the entrance. In one song, residents sang that they no longer wanted the City of Cape Town database.

Phyllis Mali said she had registered on the database but had never benefited from it.

“I live next to the project but I’m not benefiting from it. Two of my children are unemployed, they are supposed to benefit from this project. I also want to be hired here,” she said.

She said they had raised this issue with the City and they were told that as long the person lives in Delft they can benefit from the project.

“For months we have been telling them to give our community leaders the names of the people they are hiring to verify if they live in this area. The City is refusing. The guards in this site are from other areas. There are people from Khayelitsha who are benefiting from this project while we are sitting at home unemployed,” she said.

Community leader Nureesa Fataar said every year she took completed forms to the City for registration on the database. “But when it comes to employment, our people are not benefiting. She said some of the protesters had been guarding the roadworks machines on the site, in the hope of getting employment.”

After three hours of singing outside, law enforcement officers, City officials and police came.

Four delegates from the community were called to join a meeting. One of the delegates, Adenaan Davids, said nothing was resolved at the meeting but they were shown a court order that they should not be protesting next to the site.

The court order from the Western Cape high court was then given to residents to read out loud.

Police and law enforcement officials came. Protesters dispersed after eight hours. (Photo: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik)