The High Court in the Western Cape has granted the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) an extension for the lawful relocation of residents illegally occupying PRASA property along the Langa railway lines from November 26 to July 31 to allow for further consultations with affected communities.

The rail agency this week approached the High Court in the Western Cape to seek an extension on the deadline in terms of rule 27 (1) of the Rules of the Court to allow for further consultations with the affected communities and to ensure compliance with all statutory requirements.

“While the court has granted PRASA an eight-month extension, further delaying our plans to refurbish the lines, if the consultative process takes less than the stipulated deadline, PRASA will commence with the relocations ahead of the July deadline,” PRASA says.

In July this year, the Western Cape High Court made an order to evict people illegally occupying PRASA property (railway lines and land) on or before November 26.

However, during the consultation processes, PRASA and officials from the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town and the Department of Public Works were confronted with challenges including accessibility to the earmarked land in Eerste River, PRASA notes.

It also cites public knowledge that the receiving community of Eerste River issued a petition in September opposing the proposed move of Langa residents to their area. Consultation with the receiving community is still ongoing.

“The closure of the Central Line has come at a huge cost and inconvenience for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who rely on affordable railway transport to get to and from work, not to mention the economy of the City of Cape Town.

“The further delay to the repair work on the lines bears no comfort for the affected commuters; however, any relocation needs to comply with all statutory requirements. This also includes public engagements, preparing of the land, including geo-tech assessment, feasibility study, environmental-impact assessment, earthworks, installation of interim engineering  infrastructure, [and others],” PRASA states.

PRASA, in partnership with the Human Development Agency has had successful ongoing discussions with the leadership of the Langa informal dwellers. This has allowed the official counting of the communities on the ground to take place to establish the official number of people to be relocated, PRASA notes.