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The City of Cape Town (CoCT) is poised to implement a rigorous legal response to the growing challenge of illegal land occupations, which are significantly affecting the provision of critical infrastructure services. In a definitive move to safeguard essential resources and ensure continued service delivery, municipal authorities are gearing up to take decisive legal steps to clear unlawfully erected structures on vital municipal lands.
Recent extreme weather events in the Western Cape have spotlighted the urgency of maintaining uninterrupted access to municipal infrastructure. Torrential rains have exacerbated existing challenges, with instances such as obstructed drainage systems in Dunoon contributing to the severity of flooding. The competing presence of makeshift structures and informal settlements has posed a substantial barrier to the City’s maintenance efforts.
In Somerset West, local residents have faced a troubling water outage spanning nearly eight days due to obstructions linked to an informal community. Dr. Zahid Badroodien, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, has voiced concerns over the logistical hurdles the City encountered when a crucial pipeline ruptured amid a local informal settlement, which led to frustrating delays in repair work and substantial service disruption.
The complexities of the repair work entailed relocating several structures to access and mend the damaged pipelines. Although the initial burst was effectively repaired on July 13, 2024, and the secondary issue addressed the day after, the adverse weather conditions necessitated additional time for the enforced infrastructural reparations to solidify, causing further delays and highlighting the broader challenges posed by illegal land occupations.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has chosen the path of litigation as a strategic response to illegal occupiers, in the hopes of upholding the integrity of the City's essential services. The legal measures are considered an act to protect the well-being of all residents, by ensuring the City can maintain and swiftly repair infrastructure without the setbacks caused by unauthorized constructions.