Gugulethu Housing Promise Unfulfilled: Years of Delays and Only 23 Homes Completed

The ambitious Gugulethu housing project, launched with a promise to deliver 570 homes to families displaced under the Group Areas Act, has hit a significant roadblock, leaving potential residents in a prolonged state of anticipation. Initiated by the City of Cape Town in 2017 with a budget of R105 million, the project aimed to provide relief and resettlement to a community long overdue for restitution.

Assigned to three separate construction companies – Ghika Construction, Simply Do Construction, and Masikhule Projects – the undertaking has faced a series of setbacks. Ghika and Simply Do failed to complete a single unit among them, while Masikhule's 27 incomplete constructions exhibited considerable flaws. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the project's difficulties, causing unforeseen delays and economic stresses that hampered progress.

The derailment of the project's timeline has had a tangible human impact. Residents like Sabelo Jele have spent a lifetime on the housing waiting list. Jele's thirty years of hope were initially buoyed by the project's commencement, only to be met with a disheartening series of delays. The severity of the situation is underscored by the death of beneficiaries like Thulani Stokwe, who tragically passed away before realizing the dream of home ownership.

Western Cape Department of Infrastructure spokesperson Jandré Bakker disclosed that Boon Africa, the company that took over the contract from Masikhule and Simply Do, had failed to meet its commitment to rectify previous deficiencies by the end of October. The City of Cape Town now faces the task of procuring a new contractor to salvage the project.

Mayco Member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim, cited limited capacity and execution capability as reasons behind the termination of the contracts with Ghika Construction and Simply Do Construction. He indicated that a fresh contractor would take over this month, with hopes of completing the development within the next 24 months.

Amidst the administrative and logistical turmoil, the community's disappointment has turned to frustration. Ward 39 councillor Thembinkosi Mjuza voiced the community's dissatisfaction, while Marc Matebe, Gugulethu Uprising secretary and activist, demanded a clear commitment from the City to fulfill its promise by June.

The Gugulethu erf 8448 housing project underscores the complexities of urban restitution and the consequences of mismanagement. As a new phase of construction looms, with the appointment of a new contractor, residents like Jele and the memory of Stokwe serve as reminders of the human cost of delay and the urgency for decisive action.