Pictures: Leigh-Anne Jansen/HeartFM News
Hidden history has been unearthed in District Six, sparking renewed questions about the government’s plans for the area.
There’s been some clean-up work done on a piece of land in Constitution Street, which has revealed the semi-demolished homes of those who’d been forcibly removed by the Apartheid government.
Now District Six residents want to know exactly what the land will be used for.
Some quarters believe the remnants of the homes should be memorialised and turned into a heritage site.
District Six resident, Theresa Solomon, is one of them.
While Yaaseen Arendse who lives in Chapel Street, just below Hanover Street, says this land should be used for housing.
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development says the land has been earmarked for redevelopment.
It is part of the phase 5 restitution process which aims to return the land to families dispossessed by the Group Areas Act of 1950.
The department’s Linda Page explains the planning.
The land clearing involved heritage and archaeological processes.
Geotechnical site investigations and land surveys were conducted on the land from 2020 to 2023.
Some historic houses unearthed in 2020 will be incorporated into public open spaces as part of the development design.
The department states that a portion of land on the eastern edge is being reserved for a potential future memorial park.
