Cape Town – Controversy shrouding the R64 million acquisition of land in Dunoon has continued with Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers saying the price was “much lower” than the valuation of the property. GOOD party secretary-general Brett Herron alleged the province had paid more than double the market rate for the piece of land, as it fell within the “Black footprint” of Dunoon – out of sight of middle-class and predominantly white Table View.
“On the contrary, this is much lower than the valuation of the property. Besides Mr Herron’s misleading comments, he and his party’s rhetoric that this government ‘chose to maintain the Group Areas status quo’, is racially divisive, disingenuous and completely irresponsible. Simmers said the property was acquired through the Housing Development Agency , as the province had no power to acquire immovable property in terms of the HDA.
Herron questioned the motivation for the purchase of the land, when the city had already acquired 72ha of land for Dunoon’s expansion and already owned 20ha of land in the area.