Locals vent spleen on Zille

14 March 2014 - 02:02 By Quinton Mtyala
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TWARRIOR: Helen Zille, DA leader and Western Cape Premier, is known as a local queen of Twitter wars Picture:
TWARRIOR: Helen Zille, DA leader and Western Cape Premier, is known as a local queen of Twitter wars Picture:
Image: ESA ALEXANDER

Democratic Alliance leader and Western Cape premier Helen Zille had to beat a retreat yesterday from Hout Bay residents still angry about her administration's response to a violent housing protest there almost four years ago.

Zille had accompanied Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille to the sod-turning ceremony for the construction of low-cost housing units in the fishing village of Hangberg, which overlooks Hout Bay.

The area currently only has 200 council-owned rental units, but construction at two sites will add an extra 142 units, with construction expected to be completed in the first three months of next year.

But instead of friendly cheers, Zille was confronted by community leaders who insisted that she had divided the community through her involvement in a dispute over housing in the area.

The premier and mayor left the hall and headed to the site where the ceremony was taking place.

Community activist James Davids said the ceremony was held in "secret", and that Zille and De Lille would only meet a select group of residents.

"Why is she holding the information away from the people? Why does she only want to speak to a certain group of people in our community?" asked Davids.

Zille insisted that she had been invited by De Lille and that she was unaware certain people had been excluded.

She said the new apartments would be "on some of the best real estate in Cape Town".

Zille said the project had been delayed for several years because the community had been divided.

"That has been one of the major factors of the challenges we face in Hangberg.

"I hope that the community residential units are the first big breakthrough that we'll have," said Zille.

De Lille acknowledged that the relationship between the city and the community "suffered a serious breakdown" in September 2010, but said a reconciliation process had been started with the establishment of a mediation forum.

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