The City of Cape Town has approved a grant allocation of R5.9 million to the Khayelitsha Community Trust (KCT), a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to the upliftment and empowerment of Khayelitsha.
The recommendation to grant the funding was adopted at a Council meeting on Wednesday 25 July 2012, and is subject to the provisions of Section 67 of the Municipal Finance Management Act and the City’s Allocation of Section 67 Grants Policy.
The KCT was established in 2003 by the City as a vehicle to facilitate the development of the Khayelitsha central business district for the benefit of its residents.
According to Alderman Ian Neilson, Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, the formation of the KCT was unique in that the community noted that developers would buy City land and do what they wanted on it, without community input, and with no profits being ploughed back into the area.
The City reviewed this and together with a willing funder came up with the concept of the Trust, which would be responsible for the oversight of development companies so that the land purchased from the City was developed in line with the needs of the community.
“It catered for the well-being of the residents of Khayelitsha and offered them the opportunity to do their business in their own community without having to go elsewhere to, for instance, do their shopping,” said Neilson.
Developments also included community, sporting and recreational facilities. “This development served as an instigator for other development to take place in the area. Services such as doctors were attracted to Khayelitsha and a hospital was built. Light industry was established. Negotiations for the development of a private hospital are in an advanced stage. KCT is also facilitating the development of housing for the community. All this development has created many job opportunities for the Khayelitsha community. These few examples hopefully illustrate that much has been accomplished since the founding of KCT. There is however still much to be done in the area.”
The intention is for the KCT to become self-sufficient, and the City relinquished control in 2011, but is still showing its commitment to the Trust and Khayelitsha community by continuing to fund some of its operational needs through this grant.
“The funding provided by the City is not for a once-off project… the nature of the developments in Khayelitsha are of a continuous nature.
“The main reason for the approval of additional funding to KCT, is to continue with the developmental role initiated by the City via the KCT, to create an enabling environment for the benefit of the residents of Khayelitsha,” Alderman Neilson said.
For more information on the KCT, click here.
