Rage against the dying of the plight of poor: Govt slams City of Cape Town over Central Line standoff

• Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has threatened to haul the City of Cape Town to court. 
• This after three national ministers visited the problematic Central Line in Langa and Philippi which has been illegally occupied. 
• The clock is ticking for all spheres of government to report back to Parliament over the relocation plans. 

The standoff between Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and the City of Cape Town has reached a new low.

The national government and City have not seen eye to eye over the recovery plan for the Central Line, which has been obstructed by people building their homes on the railway line, primarily in Philippi.

The railway has been illegally occupied since 2019, and the national government and City have been at each other's throats over the relocation.

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and Public Works Minister Sihle Zikalala visited the Central Line in Langa and Philippi on Monday to get a first-hand account of its state. 

Both Kubayi and Deputy Minister Pamela Tshwete launched a scathing attack on the City, accusing it of not being cooperative in the relocation of illegal shack dwellers located on the Central Line.

READ | National ministers visit 'occupied' central line in Cape Town, promise to remove shacks

During a stakeholder engagement with residents and councillors in Philippi, Tshwete accused the municipality of being disrespectful to the national government. 

A fuming Tshwete said: "We lived in shacks fighting for freedom, and we should not be intimidated."

The deputy minister added the DA-led City had made work "hard for the national government".

"This DA is in charge, and they make it hard for us as a national government."

Officials from the City and legislature were conspicuous by their absence during the walkabout or community engagement on Monday.

Speaking to journalists following the briefing, Kubayi said she was disappointed at the lack of their presence as an invitation to all spheres of government had been extended.

"It shows a lack of cooperation and a lack of urgency from both the province and the City, which is why I have gone ahead with this dispute. If the dispute does not help, I will not hesitate to take the matter to court," the minister added. 

Last month, News24 reported Kubayi started a process of declaring an intergovernmental dispute for what she called the City's mishandling of the relocation of shack dwellers.

She said:

The clock is ticking for all spheres to report back to Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts to provide an update on the relocation next week. 

Last month, the committee heard 800 residents, who have been residing on the tracks, would be relocated within the next two weeks. 

Kubayi said she would be providing an update, despite no tangible plan being presented. 

Last month, the City added it was in the process of assisting Prasa and the Housing Development Agency's (HDA) development application for the relocation of the Central Line occupants. 

However, the process to finalise the application could take up to nine months. 

In a statement on Monday, the City said, following the walkabout, Prasa and its agent, the HDA, were responsible for the relocation and obtaining the necessary funding and approvals for the relocation. 

"The City has repeatedly and consistently made it clear it will not take responsibility for Prasa's Central Line relocation programme or the buying of land for another government entity," it added. 

READ | Another standoff between govt and City of Cape Town: Kubayi livid over relocation of railway residents

Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie told News24 he did not receive an official invite for the event. 

"We learned about an event through colleagues on Friday morning. I remain deeply concerned about the state of rail in the Western Cape, and especially on the Central Line in Cape Town," he said. 

Mackenzie added the province would continue to hold Prasa and the national government to account while supporting their efforts to fix rail services in the province.

"The people of the Western Cape can no longer continue to live without a functioning rail service during these trying times," he said.