CAPE TOWN – Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said they will do everything they can to help rail agency Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) relocate communities living along the railway tracks on the central line.
Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts met with Prasa, the city, the Human Settlements Department, the National Development Agency, and the Public Works Department to get an update on the relocation progress.
The central line has been inactive since 2019 due to vandalism, infrastructure theft, and people living on tracks.
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Plans to relocate people living in informal settlements along the rail tracks between Philippi and Langa have been derailed over the years.
However, last month Prasa officials indicated that progress was made with the appointment of contractors to help with the relocation process.
Previously, a number of parcels of land were identified for relocation however, the city said it had not received any land application from Prasa.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that the application was only submitted recently.
"Our responsibility is to act as the planning regulator for the planning application which has now been belatedly submitted, and to provide basic services to those residents when they're relocated."
The mayor hopes the central line can be fully operational soon.
Artmotion S.Africa
