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Recent articles by Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
[South Africa] We are dying for food Aug 06 21 KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are burning Jul 14 21 Moving from Crisis in South Africa's Municipalities to Building Counte... Jul 19 19 New Gugulethu Mall may still be stopped as residents plan fiery meeting for tomorrow southern africa |
community struggles |
non-anarchist press
 Friday June 20, 2008 22:32 by Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign wcantievictioncampaign at gmail dot com
 GUGULETHU - A planned new multi-million rand shopping mall that is being built in Zone 1, on the site of the demolished Eyona Centre, may still be stopped, if mediation conducted by the Anti-Eviction Campaign fails at tomorrow's public meeting. The media are invited to attend a meeting between Gugulethu residents, the property developers, the city council and Anti-Eviction Campaign tomorrow (Saturday 21 June 2008) at 2pm opposite Eyona shopping centre in the Ekuphumleni Old Age Home. The community is demanding to know exactly who owns this land and how it came to fall into the hands of Mzoli Developers (owned by businessman Mzoli Ngcawuzela, owner of the well known Mzoli's restaurant). Khula Enterprises, current landlord of the premises, will also be at the meeting. No consultation, public participation or transparent processes have taken place and residents doubt that the new mall will create jobs or opportunities for existing small businesses in Gugulethu. The community is against a mall that will sideline small business and community based enterprises, and benefit a few rich corporations only as this does not add value to this impoverished township. The Anti-Eviction Campaign will be chairing the meeting as we have been mediating a number of meetings that have been held behind closed doors, in recent weeks. Last month, residents marched on the building site and shut it down for several days. or comment, call Mncedisi Twalo of AEC on 078 5808646 or Thandiswa Kama on 082 495 8652 or Ranti Dlangamandla on 083 725 1377 |
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Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3I hope the stalemate in the construction of Guguletu Mall will soon be resolved as we need to have services closer to our people, we need to think in terms of the greater whole who will benefit from this investment. The community of Guguletu is a vibrant and exciting community, with this development they will benefit greately. so i hope sooner than later construction will go ahead.
I'm not convinced Simpiwe. I agree that the community of Guguletu - as all others - needs to have affordable and convenient access to services (I do not know Guguletu though so don't know what current access is like, although I imagine dismal), but I support the AEC and Gululetu residents with their dissatisfaction about how this process appears to be being managed. If the community of Gugs is to benefit from the mall, then surely they should be consulted during the process of constructing the mall, so that they can voice their input in terms of what kinds of services they want and need? How best the mall could serve their interests as a community. The fact that this did not happen shows that the developers do not have the best interests of the community of Guguletu at heart.
Thinking in terms of the 'greater whole', who really will benefit from this development? The developers and large corporations, which will have outlets there, will surely benefit. But at whose expense? It is more than likely that small community-based venders and small shop-owners in Gugs will be negatively affected if they come up against the big chain stores, with whom they cannot compete in terms of pricing etc.
I think it is a sham to say the development will benefit the community until the community has been properly consulted on what they want from the mall and how it will serve their interest.
Jonathan i understand your concerns and those of the residents of Gugs, its just that these developments will always bring positive results at the end. i.e employment creation, provision of quality services closer to the needy, upgrading of infrastructure like Ny 1 would have to be widend, viability of the area is revived(otherwise it dies). I go to Maponya Mall almost every weekend, its so vibrant and it has brought so much pride to the people of soweto, they have embraced the mall in so much that it is always packed. Kids who would be roaming around the streets of Soweto not knowing what to do , where to go because they cannot afford taxi fares or bus fares, are at Maponya Mall everyweekend for movies, the culture of going out for diner , lunch, movies, dates is growing, This reduces crime, promotes growth and responsibility. When i look at this in Soweto, i bealive Guguletu has the same potential with this development. So what ever the issues, people of Gugs should make sure that this development goes on. They stand to benefit more than loose. The in terms of property values close to the Mall, all i am saying is lets look at the bigger picture.