City accuse Mitchells Plain business forums of extortion, brings MyCiTi project to halt
|Published
Cape Town - The Construction Mafia has struck again, this time putting a halt to the expansion operations of the MyCiTi bus service in Mitchells Plain.
The City of Cape Town has now approached the courts to obtain an interdict to put a stop to so called development and business forums that have threatened the contractor, forcing it to withdraw from the site.
Mayco member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas said, work at a current MyCiTi bus service construction site was forcibly put on hold “after interference from disgruntled development and business forums in Mitchells Plain”.
“City of Cape Town will approach the Western Cape High Court for an interdict against those who are delaying the MyCiTi bus service construction project along AZ Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain. The project has been delayed since 28 February 2024,” he said in a statement.
“Individuals associated with five so-called development and business forums in the Mitchells Plain area have forced the contractor off-site where we are busy with construction work related to the roll-out of the MyCiTi bus service. We are now heading into the seventh day of the work stoppage along AZ Berman Drive.
“The contractor had no alternative but to move out of the area given the intimidation and threats to personnel. The group has also vowed to burn machinery should work continue and their demands not being met. We will not tolerate this thuggish behaviour. This is why we will approach the court for relief.”
Ward 76 councillor Avron Plaatjies has also raised concerns about alleged vandalism on site since the halt of the project.
“I’m deeply disappointed by the halt of this incredible project.
“Just recently, I received a call from the community informing me of a reduction in water supply. I went to the site and saw that water was going to waste.
“I alerted the city’s water and sanitation service, and when they arrived, they confirmed that the valve had been torn off, resulting in the massive water leak in AZ Berman. This has also impacted traffic during peak hours.
“The only ones who are paying the price for this are the Mitchell’s Plain residents. I strongly deplore the conduct of a few that have caused us, the residents, to suffer.”
Marshall Nelson, a business forum member was unapologetic about the threats.
“Projects are being undertaken by big companies, Martin and East being one of them, doing the MyCiTi project in Mitchells Plain and we then discovered there is no empowerment plan for our entrepreneurs.
“When we’ve raised these concerns with the City of Cape Town, having meetings at the sub-council, we were told that they are going to assist us. Later they came back to say they don’t have to assist us because there is nothing in the contract from the CoCT that obligates them to do empowerment. We then asked ‘is this only for slaves?’.
“They said that if they employ a few people, there is nothing we can do and they already have their team. We wanted to know how our entrepreneurs are to grow if these opportunities are not given to them. They insist that they are not obligated to do empowerment.
“Because we are raising our concerns, we are now told we are extortionists, they are using this to protect their white friends.”
“Why do we have to struggle to find work in our communities when people from outside come in and chow the millions in front of us? It’s not fair, when we approach them they run to courts and accuse us of extortion but they are the biggest extortionists.”
Quintas said one of the key MyCiTi bus routes will operate along AZ Berman Drive.
“The contract concerns the widening of AZ Berman Drive between the intersections with the R300 and Wespoort Drive to accommodate two dedicated bus lanes along this stretch.
“The five business forums met with the City last week and made demands about empowerment and the waiver of legislative requirements related to insurance and occupational health and safety.
“We refused to give in and the very next day a group of people arrived at the site, intimidated the contractor and staff, and brought work to a standstill.”
Deputy Chairperson for Mitchells Plain United Residents Association (MURA) Michael Jacobs said he is worried about the impact of the threats on development in Mitchells Plain.
“It is always worrying that projects of benefit to the whole community are being forced to halt or abandoned through threats of violence and intimidation. We call on councillors and officials to take the Mitchell’s Plain community and organisations who have the best interest of the community at heart into their confidence before taking steps to just halt projects.
“If there are instances of alleged intimidation and criminality then it must be dealt with decisively through the criminal justice process. If it is a contractual dispute or issues of local labour or subcontractors being excluded from the process then the sub-council and councillors need to bring the affected parties together to ensure that issues are dealt with expeditiously.
“We cannot allow projects meant to improve the lives of communities to be jeopardised, because the City cannot ensure the safety of contractors and employees. We are reminded of similar issues when the Beacon Valley Housing Project was stopped by the City citing intimidation, violence and other concerns.
“So as MURA we call on the City to bring all affected parties together and also call a public meeting to inform the community of these grave challenges to the MyCiTi project.”
The incidents have been reported to the South African Police Service’s organised crime unit which is investigating the matter.
venecia.valentine@inl.co.za