About 350 Reclaim the City activists staged a protest at the upmarket Rondebosch Gold Course on Thursday, 21 March 2019, demanding that the land be used for housing instead.
Housing rights group Reclaim the City staged a protest at the upscale Rondebosch Gold Course as part of their Human Rights Day celebrations on Thursday, 21 March 2019. The protestors expressed their wish to have the golf facility land used for housing instead.
“As we commemorate Human Rights Day, we remember how our parents and grandparents struggled against discrimination and an oppressive racist regime. They knew that there could be no justice and equality without the return of the land,” spokesperson Zacharia Mashele said in a statement on Thursday.
Mashele said that the golf course is about 45 soccer fields in size and could house at least 171 families. The land in question is said to be leased to the private club for a mere R1 000 a year, while the club makes an exorbitant profit as each member is charged a membership fee of R15 750 a year.
Mashele blamed the national, provincial and local government for failure to redistribute land.
“This must be redistributed for affordable housing for poor and working-class people. If the City of Cape Town refuses to meet its obligations, then the province or national government must expropriate the land for affordable housing.”
While the protestors occupied the golf course, waiting for deputy mayor Ian Nielson to meet them so they could voice his grievances with him, he did not arrive.
“We will not rise to threats. We do not accept these actions as acceptable to the rules of engagement. In any case, the entire campaign is misplaced,” Neilson said.
Reclaim the City said it will not back down until its housing demands have been met.
Abenathi Gqomo
a.gqomo@politicalanalysis.co.za