The South Road Families Association said they are still in discussion with their legal team after an update was given on the proposed Phase 2A of the MyCiTi bus route.
The City of Cape Town announced that the portfolio committee for transport unanimously approved the greater Wynberg area trunk alignment for the route.
This means that if council endorses and gives final approval for the recommendation, the City of Cape Town will invest about R800 million in new infrastructure.
The route will connect commuters from the Metro south-east with Wynberg and Claremont.
It’s proposed that a direct bus route operates along Wetton Road, and a trunk route with dedicated right-of-way bus lanes along Ottery and South roads.
The City’s transport directorate will then start with the detailed design of the new transport infrastructure in the greater Wynberg area, the MyCiTi trunk route, stations and stops, and the upgrade of existing roads.
Felicity Purchase, mayoral committee member for transport, said the service will provide much-needed scheduled public transport for those commuting between Wynberg and the Metro south-east.
“The service will integrate with the rail stations in this area so that commuters can easily change from one mode of public transport to another, and it will also improve facilities for pedestrians. One of the added benefits associated with the roll-out of the MyCiTi service is the opportunity to provide critical missing road links that will relieve traffic congestion and curb the current rat-running through the Wynberg residential areas,” she said.
South Road Families Association chairperson, Clice Muller, said they will continue to fight the City, which wants to demolish the City-owned houses, they have been renting for years to make way for the MyCiTi route.
In May 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed an application by a group of Wynberg residents for special leave to appeal against a Western Cape High Court ruling that cleared the way for the next phase of the MyCiTi bus project.
The South Road Families Association’s application was dismissed because the requirements for special leave to appeal were not satisfied.
“We have a right to continue to live here and have a quality of life. We want the evictions to be postponed indefinitely but currently we are sitting in limbo.
“We are working with our legal team to look at a way forward because we are willing to work out a payment plan with the City to buy the land from the City. In the meantime we are looking at avenues to keep our homes,”said Mr Muller.