News24 reports that according to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), the people living on Cape Town's troubled central railway line are expected to be relocated by the end of this year at a cost of R179 million.
However, this will depend on resolving disagreements between the national and provincial governments over which authority has responsibility for the relocation of the occupiers. The Central Line between Nyanga and Cape Town has been closed for about three years after people built shacks on the railway line. In reply to a recent parliamentary question on progress made in respect of the Central Line, Western Cape Urban Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie indicated that an estimated 5,195 households and illegal structures had been erected on Prasa's Central Line rail reserve. He said 1,254 structures had been erected in Langa, 3,688 structures in and around the Philippi Station and 253 occupants were living at the Khayelitsha Station. The households need to be relocated to allow Prasa to fully rehabilitate the rail infrastructure on the Central Line and restore services. According to Mackenzie, there are two processes currently under way for the relocation of settlers and the rehabilitation of the railway. "In summary, Prasa is in the process of implementing a temporary measure in relocating the informal settlement through Operation Bhekela before the end of the calendar year. The infrastructure rehabilitation will be executed in tandem with this move with the foreseeable completion date within quarter 1 [April/May] 2024," he indicated. Mackenzie said the total estimated cost of the relocation was R179,122,427, adding that national government should carry the cost.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marvin Charles by News24 (subscriber access only)
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