Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance : GCTCA

Suspicion over bid to save stadium November 14th, 2016 I am concerned that the City wants to cover up its wastage, and protect themselves from the blame of misspending. It’s going to be difficult to make the stadium commercially viable, and at the end of the day, the ratepayers will still foot the bill no matter how you look at it.	Cape Town communities fear eroding of areas’ character September 2nd, 2016 Bam said civic organisations were fair in their criticism of the city’s public participation process. “There’s nothing in the participation process that the voice of the community is determinative. Until such time, the city and the government will continue to walk over people.”
Public Meeting: Public objecting to flawed cell mast erection processes in Cape Town August 31st, 2016 There have been numerous complaints in the media concerning the illegal building of cell masts in Cape Town. In some instances it has been reported that masts were built without required plans and instances of masts having been built before the plans had been submitted for approval were also reported.	City of Cape Town’s property valuation system ‘deeply flawed’ August 26th, 2016 Homeowners have inundated the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance (GCTCA), an umbrella body which oversees residents’ associations in Cape Town, with complaints about the value of their properties increasing, according to GCTCA chairperson Philip Bam.
South Africans have made their voices heard. Now what for local councils? August 16th, 2016 Municipal councillors’ mandates are naturally directed by their political party philosophy and specific policies. But there is an overarching mandate for all local authorities, namely the constitutional mandate. Local government is the only sphere of South African government for which the country’s constitution stipulates a specific mandate.	The people have spoken August 11th, 2016 Allow me to congratulate all those political parties who participated in the local government elections. Some put their hands up for the first time, others tried again to ensure that the marginalized people have a voice. To those who did not succeed,try again.
Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomes study for affordable housing on Tafelberg August 2nd, 2016 Ndifuna Ukwazi welcomes the Western Cape Provincial Cabinet’s decision to consider affordable housing on the Tafelberg site. A Provincial Cabinet resolution today calls for a “financial model” to be secured for the development of social housing on the site.	Update on City of Cape Town stink story June 21st, 2016 It has been over a year since the City of Cape Town asked for comments from the public as part of the public participation process during its permit application to be allowed to continue discharging untreated effluent into our coastal waters and MPA’s. We have had no feedback or answers to our queries and objections, nor have we been advised as to whether or not the permit was granted and if so under what conditions.
Tender out for Granger Bay site in Cape Town June 7th, 2016 Civic associations accuse the City of using bullying tactics and deciding the end result before the public participation process has started, but the City says the the proposal was an ‘appropriate development mix’…	City of Cape Town ‘bulldozing’ through developments May 31st, 2016 Civic organisations from across the city are becoming increasingly concerned at the cosy relationship between the City of Cape Town and private developers, saying inappropriate developments were being bulldozed through with objections routinely ignored.
GCTCA robustly and formally objects to development on the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) May 2nd, 2016 The GCTCA sincerely hopes that sanity will prevail and that political and housing development greed will not be the victor at the extreme loss of food security and very scarce water supplies, as well as jobs.	Watch: Carte Blanche video Philippi Horticultural Area under threat April 17th, 2016 The Philippi farming community gives the Cape 200 000 tonnes of vegetables and flowers every year. Only 20 kilometres from the centre of town, Philippi has been Cape Town’s bread basket for nearly 2000 years. Carte Blanche asks: why are the city’s own town planners threatening its survival during one of the most devastating droughts this country has ever seen?
Philippi Horticultural farmers protest against proposed Cape Town housing developments April 7th, 2016 They called for an “urgent investigation” into the “irrational and unconstitutional” actions of Environmental, Planning and Development MEC Anton Bredell and mayor Patricia de Lille threatening the PHA, which is a critical food security resource.	Cape Aquifer denials, disinformation April 6th, 2016 “Good agricultural land on the urban edge and elsewhere is rapidly being consumed by urban development, and valuable biodiversity resources and areas of scenic and amenity value are being threatened.”
Effective crime control needed January 29th, 2016 With bullets whizzing over their heads, through their windows and into the walls of their homes, it is no wonder there is little faith in Ceasefire – with Hanover Park Community Police Forum’s secretary, Mr Weldon Cameron, saying at a meeting on “Gangsterism, Trauma and Substance Abuse” that Ceasefire does not work on the Cape Flats.	Cape Town’s ‘not so grand’ centralisation scheme December 29th, 2015 The City, which works for its corporate citizens, providing them with a “red tape to red carpet” special service that us mere mortals can only dream of, is implementing a massive growth strategy to increase square metres of office, conference, hotel and private living space in the central business district (CBD) and close to it.This makes the land in the CBD much more valuable, making billions for the property developers and hundreds of millions in additional rates annually for the City.