Paradise Park residents left in the dark by minister
Residents and homeowners of Paradise Park in Hermanus, are upset that MEC of Human Settlements, Bonginkosi Madikizela, cancelled his meeting with them on Sunday 4 November.
The cancellation of the long-awaited meeting at which the minister was to discuss the way forward for the people of Paradise Park after consulting with Magna, the owners and developers of the land, was conveyed to the people through a Facebook post made by DA councillor Jean Orban.
In the post, Orban apologised on behalf of Madikizela for the cancellation.
Some residents of the Park were upset that not everybody knew the meeting was cancelled. A resident expressed online that not all have access to social media platforms such as Facebook.
“Some people even came from Cape Town to attend, some had to put in leave from work, and most importantly residents anticipated they were going to get important feedback from the minister,” said Tracy Henn, leader of the Paradise Park Homeowners Going Nowhere group. “Our people want answers as to why the minister cancelled, as no reasons were provided.”
Jean Orban commented the reason he posted the message on Paradise Park’s Facebook page, is because it was the quickest way to get the information across to the broader community of Paradise Park, as the page has a following of 457 members. “I also apologised on behalf of the minister. Also, to ensure transparency, I don’t just communicate with one person only, but with as many people as possible.”
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, the spokesperson for Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela, reported Madikizela, unfortunately, had to cancel Sunday’s meeting after he was informed by the municipality about reported unrest in the Hermanus area.
“The meeting will be rescheduled in due course and the community will be informed accordingly,” said Makoba-Somdaka.
The court case relating to the eviction order of Paradise Park residents, which was set to appear before a court on Monday 12 November, has been postponed until April 2019 or a suitable date thereafter, as confirmed in a legal document.
The document states that Magna Business Services (Pty) Ltd, is currently in negotiations with the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, with the aim of finding suitable solutions with regards to alternative housing for a considerable portion of the residents in Paradise Park.
The document further states various discussions between Magna and the department took place, after which a vetting process was started, to determine which of the residents qualify to be part of the proposed solution.
“It is also understood that the department is almost finished with the process which is essential for further planning and finalisation of the proposed project,” reads the document.
According to the document the process is set to conclude by the end of March 2019