Show us the audit on our houses, Minister Sexwale!

15 08 2011

R2K and AEC Western Cape Statement

The residents of Newfields Village are still waiting for Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale to respond to their demand for access to an audit of the low-cost housing provided by the controversial Cape Town Community Housing Company (CTCHC).

The Auditor-General conducted a preliminary investigation of houses provided by the CTCHC in November 2010, following years of residents’ complaints of the shoddy quality of houses and mismanagement of funds.

On 24 May 2011, residents of Newfields Village approached the National Department of Human Settlements to make a formal demand for access to the audit in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). When the Minister failed to respond within the 30-day period stipulated in the Act, our attorney submitted a Notice of Internal to Minister Sexwale for a response within an additional 30 days.

The legal deadline for Minister Sexwale is Monday 15 August 2011. Read the rest of this entry »


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The ANC’s fast and furious parliamentary deliberation over the Info Bill, going through the motions

25 05 2011

In the face of sustained opposition to the Protection of Information Bill (better known as the “protection of information from investigative journalism bill”), the ANC is pushing the speedometer needle well into the danger zone as it chases deadlines at breakneck speed. But the question remains: Will it swap its Ferrari for its trusted bulldozer in the end anyway? By T O MOLEFE.

Operating under obvious pressure from above, ANC MPs grew increasingly agitated during Tuesday’s meeting of the ad hoc committee on the Protection of Information Bill. The source of their annoyance was the slow progress on deliberating clauses in the bill, and accused DA and ACDP MPs of intentionally delaying progress. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Archives, Delft - evictions + resistance, Mainstream and Other News, Mandela Park in Khayelitsha, Newfields Village, Zille-Rein Heights

Right2Know activists demand more access to information

25 05 2011

May 25 2011 at 11:26am – IOL

ct R2K Protest 6969 (16133275)

Regina Graham

DESPITE the rain, 40 Right2Know protesters gathered outside the Civic Centre yesterday to demand access to information from local and national governments.

Community organisers from the Blikkiesdorp, Zille-Raine Heights, Newfields Village Anti-Eviction Campaign and the Mandela Park backyaders partnered with the Right2KNow organisation to submit applications to gain access to information about housing delivery and resettlement plans.

“Three communities demand access to information about things like budgets and how money is going to be allocated. There is a lack of transparency and a lot of secrets within the community and city,” said Tinashe Njani, the campaign administrator. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Anti-Eviction Campaign, Archives, Delft - evictions + resistance, Mainstream and Other News, Newfields Village, Zille-Rein Heights

Backyarders and others to us PAIA to demand government’s secrets about our communities

24 05 2011

Backyarders Press Statement – 24 May 2011

The Mandela Park Backyarders will be going this morning to both the Provincial Department Housing and to the National Parliament this morning to submit a list of demands to access information about their community under the PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act). Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Anti-Eviction Campaign, Archives, Delft - evictions + resistance, Mandela Park in Khayelitsha, Newfields Village, Zille-Rein Heights

VOC: Locals recall Nakba

19 05 2011

2011-05-15 08:52:53 – Voice of the Cape

As pro-Palestinians on Sunday remembered the catastrophe which led to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians being evicted from their homeland on 15 May 1948, locally, the Workers International Vanguard League (WIVL) and the Newfields Village Anti Eviction Campaign joined their ranks. Their commemoration is set to take place on Sunday at 3pm in Newfields Village at the netball pitch.
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M&G: The right to demand answers

30 04 2011
LYNLEY DONNELLY - Apr 29 2011 11:48 – Mail & Guardian

Despite a biting wind and a grey, sodden sky, the Mowbray town hall in Cape Town is overflowing. The audience — from gogos to grandchildren — fills the seats in the large room below the main stage decked out in maroon and dusty pink curtaining.

They have come to hear the testimony of individuals and organisations who have struggled to get information out of the state: the history of their ailing housing project, a nuclear safety plan for the public, or rape statistics. Read the rest of this entry »


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Residents cry foul as houses fall apart

23 11 2010

22 Nov 2010 | Yazeed Kamaldien | Sowetan

RESIDENTS of the Newfields Village housing project in Hanover Park, Cape Town, want a building contractor who is hired by the government fired because it allegedly sold them shoddy homes.

Auditor-general Terrence Nombembe last week sent inspectors to the 2300 homes – built by the Cape Town Community Housing Company (CTCHC) – to look at their cracked walls, exposed electrical cables, damp and toilets that continuously break.

The AG’s inspectors would not comment to the media except to say that Nombembe would release a report to Parliament soon.

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Categories : Anti-Eviction Campaign, Mainstream and Other News, Newfields Village

Auditor General investigating Cape Town Community Housing Company

16 11 2010

Newfields Village Community Representative Committee
16 November 2010

Communities affected by the negligence and substandard housing built by Cape Town Community Housing Company (CTCHC) are happy to welcome inspectors from the Auditor General’s Cape Town office.

Mr Oberholzer and his team will be inspecting selected houses in the eight CTCHC built communities within the next few days.

Today’s visit included the Heideveld and Luyolloville CTCHC communities.

On Wednesday the 17th of November, the Auditor General will be visiting the CTCHC communities in Woodridge, Eastridge and Philippi.

Finally, on Thursday the 18th of November, they will visit the last CTCHC communities: Pylon, Railway and Newfields Village.

This is a partial audit of the communities. If the Auditor General finds evidence of negligence, corruption and substandard house building, they will conduct a full audit of all the houses in the CTCHC communities.

For more information on the history behind the CTCHC housing scandal, click here for previous press releases

For more information, contact Gary Hartzenberg (Newfields Village CRC) @ 072 392 5859


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Categories : Anti-Eviction Campaign, Archives, Eastridge, Newfields Village, News & Press Release

Media: Delay in sentence for fraud attorney

1 11 2009

October 30, 2009 Edition 2
Jade Witten – Cape Argus

A FORMER attorney convicted of misappropriating R400 000 in trust money is to be sentenced in the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court next month. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Archives, Eastridge, Mainstream and Other News, Newfields Village

Parkfields condemns the State for allowing CJ Botman to plea bargain away his responsibility to pay us back 2 million rand

30 10 2009
Parkfields (Newfields) AEC Press Release
30 October 2009

To: All media and civil society

From: Parkfields Community Representative Committee (formerly Newfields Village CRC)

Re: Condemnation of the latest postponement allowed by the state prosecutor in the case against C.J. Botman without input from our community

Trial postponed until 27 November 2009
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

The people of Newfields Village, which currently faces evictions, experienced this injustice yesterday when the state, without consulting with representatives of our communties, accepted the final, final postonment of the case against C. J. Botman in order to accommodate the disgraced attorney.

Botman was ordered by the court to try to repay the money he stole from the attorneys fidelity fund to the tune of R400,000. However, the CRC did not have any say in Mr. Botman’s plea-bargain. Mr. Botman doesn’t only owe the state 400,000 Rand. He also owes residents about 2 million rand. But our needs are being ignored by the state prosecutor.

We strongly reject these arrangements and strongly reject this postponement. Read the rest of this entry »


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