City of Cape Town Responsible for the Death and Destruction of Homes

GOOD Statement by Axolile Notywala, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:

It is with profound outrage and sorrow that we note the tragic death of a young man in a devastating fire that destroyed 32 homes and left 52 people homeless in the Siyangena informal settlement in Philippi.

The fire ripped through the Siyangena community on Saturday, 15 November 2025. This was less than ten days after I had issued a statement warning about this tragedy as we enter fire season in Cape Town. The people of Siyangena are left to pick up the pieces and are now poorer, while the City continues to ignore its duty to provide expropriated land, basic services, and adequate infrastructure.

This fire, which was caused by a candle, is not an accident but a direct consequence of years of neglect, inadequate planning, and failure to respond to warnings from residents.

In my statement on 6 November 2025, I highlighted that about a year ago, in December 2024, the Siyangena community submitted a detailed budget proposal to the City of Cape Town, signed by 550 residents, urging the City to take ownership of the land they occupy and provide essential services. The Siyangena community has also engaged with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for over two years, seeking intervention to secure access to water, sanitation, and electricity.

The same City of Cape Town is now pushing to expropriate productive land in Sunnydale, despite objections from smallholding farmers who are

productively using the land to feed their families, running a school for children underserved by the public education system, and employing hundreds of people from nearby communities such as Masiphumelele.

The main impediment for Siyangena and many other informal settlements is access to land. However, the political will to expropriate land for people who have lived in these settlements for years is absent. This demonstrates that the DA in the City of Cape Town is not opposed to expropriation per se but chooses when to expropriate for political convenience rather than public interest.

The GOOD Party demands urgent relief for the affected families, full accountability from the City and the Ward Councillor, and an urgent implementation plan to prevent this from happening again.

Lives continue to be lost and put at risk while DA politicians in Cape Town prioritise PR and media spin. The time for excuses is over. The City of Cape Town must be held accountable.

GOOD Manifesto on Cultural Heritage: Promoting the preservation of South Africa’s cultural heritage.

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