The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and the Housing Development Agency (HDA) in the Western Cape say they are on track to temporarily relocate more than 5,000 households for the central railway line by the end of May.
The rail agency met with various stakeholders involved in a project to recover the railway line earlier on Tuesday.
The central line has not been operating for four years due to vandalism and theft, and the illegal occupation of land near the line during the COVID-19 lockdown.
HDA Manager Ndumiso Mkhwanazi said more than 1,250 households in Langa had so far been moved off the central line.
He said the agency, which was helping PRASA relocate the illegal dwellers, was on track to move close to 4,000 more households to temporary housing structures in Philippi and Khayelitsha before the end of May.
Mkhwanazi also said a timeline for the permanent relocation of all the occupants was now in place.
“Once we secure the funding [from government] then we will do the land preparation, and then move towards the relocation. We’ve always communicated a date towards relocation, and now that it is concrete by the court order, it allows us to effect the relocation.”
Mkhwanazi said the government indicated that funds for the land development would be made available within the next two months.
-EWN
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