District Six group bruised by De Lille 'snub'

05 November 2015 - 02:36 By Aphiwe Deklerk

District Six claimants who marched to hand over a memorandum at Patricia de Lille's office yesterday said the Cape Town mayor snubbed them. The claimants, led by the District Six Working Committee, expected De Lille to meet them in person at the Civic Centre. They said she had promised, in e-mails, to be there.Instead, De Lille sent one of her staff members, Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, to accept the memorandum. This angered some of the claimants, who shouted "Down with the DA" and "Down with De Lille".Solomons-Johannes said the city would provide a written response to the issues raised in the memorandum within seven working days."Progress has been delayed by the impact of special-interest groupings, including the District Six Working Committee, which has been a partner in public engagement. It's time to end narrow agendas and do what is right for the broader community," he said.Shahied Ajam, chairman of the working committee, said De Lille had practically slammed the door in their faces yesterday.She said they would do likewise next year when the DA did door-to-door campaigning for votes in the local government elections."She insulted our dignity by not receiving that memo. They received the two e-mails I wrote warmly [but today] she sends one of her monkeys to address us. [He] doesn't even know what he is talking about," said Ajam.Among other demands, the group wants the whole of District Six declared a heritage site; an investigation into all land in the area, that was sold before and after 1994, and on ownership of the Good Hope Centre, which the city has leased out as a film studio.Solomons-Johannes denied that De Lille had undertaken to accept the memorandum in person...

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