On Human Rights Day, Reclaim the City took over Rondebosch Golf Course to protest the City of Cape Town’s failure to redistribute public land for affordable housing. We came in numbers with flags and banners to see the land – with our children, in wheelchairs and with walking sticks. We were shocked to see how beautiful it is inside. An oasis in the heart of our city with open fields, trees and rivers. The Golf Club only pays R1,000 a year in rent. It’s clear our best public land has been captured by a few wealthy people while the majority of Black and Coloured residents continue to live on the outskirt of the city, far from good infrastructure, services and job opportunities. We gathered at the club house. The manager understood our struggles. He closed the club for the day and sent the golfers home. He gave us water and listened to our speeches. Our fellow residents are not our target. When the metro police and SAPS came we told them that Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson, who is the real power in charge of the City’s finances and land, must come to the Golf Course before 1pm and account for why Council is failing to meet its obligations. Aunty Margaret Hayes turned the first sod on our affordable housing project. She is 80 years old and could no longer pay her rent. So she moved into occupied Cissie Gool House in Woodstock, which is managed by people for people. We called Ian Neilson three times but he refused to pick up. He told the police that he won’t come address trespassers and criminals. He ran away when we went to his house last year to ask him questions about Site B – public land he auctioned on the cheap to Growthpoint. He refused to speak to us was when we built our shacks on Site B and let Growthpoint send mercenaries with machine guns. We all agreed that today was the last straw. Ian Neilson can’t continue to hide in the shadows while pulling the strings. There are empty fields, golf courses, bowling greens and parking lots across well-located areas. At our next protest, we won’t be leaving until he comes out to account. Redistribute this land. Redistribute all public land. Reclaim the City. We want to thank our partner organisation and movements for their support: #UniteBehind, Equal Education, Social Justice Coalition, Ndifuna Ukwazi, Languedoc Advice Office. You can find a report here from our partners Ndifuna Ukwazi which talks about the law and what is possible: https://goo.gl/m8W3uV #ReclaimtheCity #HumanRightsDay #Redisteibuteallpublicland
