DA's Herron to be grilled on MyCiTi
MAYCO member for Transport, Brett Herron, has been hauled into a provincial legislature standing committee meeting to answer questions about the city’s controversial plan to construct a MyCiTi bus route through Wynberg.
Herron will be under oath, and is set to face a barrage of questions from the South Road Families Association, Wynberg Taxi Association, Wynberg Residents and Ratepayers Association during the meeting on February 17.
The planned MyCiTi bus route, which will cut through residential properties and leave 26 families homeless, has angered the Wynberg and Plumstead communities, who have since turned to the ANC.
ANC MPL Cameron Dugmore has taken up the cudgels on behalf of the community.
“I will lobby the national government to suspend all funding for phase 2 of the MyCiTi project unless the city agrees to declare a moratorium on all evictions, convene a meeting between the mayor and residents in the affected communities and establish an inclusive task team to explore all alternative routes,” Dugmore said.
He said the city has been unable to produce any evidence that officials had conducted an impact study or costed the South Road/Brodie Couplet route.
“They have also not been able to produce any evidence that they have costed or done an impact study concerning the alternative routes proposed by the community.
“There has been no public consultation on phase 2. Brett Herron claims that the costing is fully disclosed.
“I challenge him to produce evidence. And why do they refuse to cost the alternative routes proposed?
“Instead, they seek to intimidate communities by demolishing vacant properties which adjoin South Road,” he said.
Herron failed to answer Dugmore’s questions when the Cape Times posed them to him yesterday.
His office instead referred to a statement Herron released on Tuesday, saying the “matters that Mr Dugmore keeps raising have been adequately dealt with before”.
On Tuesday, Herron condemned attempts to hamper MyCiTi funding.
“Certain groups, and in particular, the ANC, are trying everything to sabotage a project that will serve 1.4 million people who are in desperate need of public transport.
“The implementation of public infrastructure of this scale will affect some people’s lives, but this project is vital for the long-term sustainability of our city and the well-being of its people,” he maintained.
Dugmore responded: “There is no intention to sabotage anything. However, the DA’s arrogance and deception is the real risk to MyCiTi.”
