Residents of Jamestown marched to Stellenbosch Town Hall on 1 May and handed over a memorandum of demands to the Stellenbosch Municipality, which raised concerns about gentrification, governance failures, and the use of the area as a Temporary Relocation Area (TRA).
The protest, held under the banner “Believe in Jamestown,” followed years of what the community said is ignored communication and unmet obligations.
Jamestown residents gather at Town Hall for a peaceful protest on 1 May, raising their concerns about poor governance, the use of Jamestown as a temporary relocation area, and a loss of Jamestown heritage. PHOTO: Supplied/Jamestown Action Group
Protesters were frustrated when neither the mayor, Jeremy Fasser, nor deputy mayor, Mynard Slabbert, arrived to receive the memorandum, with law enforcement officials present instead. To protesters, this reinforced a sense that the community was not being taken seriously and were disregarded as they had tried multiple ways to raise their grievances.
A key concern raised by community members was the continued use of Jamestown as a TRA since 2017. To be classified as a TRA, a site must be legally authorised, safe from environmental hazards, and equipped with essential services like water, sanitation, and emergency access to provide basic interim housing for displaced people. These displaced people include anyone without housing, anyone who has lost their home as a result of a natural disaster or anyone evicted from land that will be used for developments. TRAs essentially, are meant to provide emergency shelter.
According to Dale Simons, a trustee at Jamestown Trust, the area does not meet the criteria for such classification, yet people continue to be placed in conditions described as inadequate and unsustainable.
“Now there is nimbyism, ‘not in my backyard’. What people were shouting is ‘relocate them here,’ [the municipality] are relocating them in our communities,” said Simons.
He added it was the municipality’s responsibility to provide properly planned TRAs across the Stellenbosch area, rather than concentrating pressure on one community.
Protestors came out in numbers to protest against the Stellenbosch Municipality’s apparent disregard for their concerns around ‘unlawful’ TRAs, amongst other issues. PHOTO: Amahle Thabethe
Ronnie Donaldson, a professor at Stellenbosch University (SU), currently working on an anti-gentrification policy, defined gentrification as a process of socio-spatial change, where the rehabilitation of residential property in a working-class neighbourhood by relatively affluent incomers, leads to the displacement of former residents unable to afford the increased costs of housing that accompany regeneration.
Donaldson explained the situation in Jamestown as one in which the community is losing control over its space. “There is a total disregard from the municipality when it comes to these small villages around Stellenbosch,” said Donaldson.
Chrisben February, chairperson of the Jamestown Heritage Committee, also spoke about concerns surrounding cultural identity.
February believed the ongoing changes to the community are eroding its heritage, particularly when it came to developments. “Heritage is a big issue for me, but gentrification is another issue. With various developments going on and on in spite of our comments and concern, it negatively affects Jamestown,” said February.
What February was alluding to, was how gentrification changes a community’s culture by displacing long-time residents and replacing local identities, traditions, and spaces with those that reflect newer, often wealthier groups.
Jamestown residents resort to protesting after years of their concerns about Jamestown being used as a Temporary Relocation Area have been overlooked. PHOTO: Amahle Thabethe
Otniel Jooste, a resident of Jamestown, African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) councillor and the provincial executive member of the ACDP, broadened the discussion, linking the TRA issue to wider housing challenges in Jamestown. “The long-standing housing needs of Jamestown residents themselves have been overlooked,” said Jooste.
He also discussed how Mountain View (the area where people are placed), is slowly becoming an informal settlement. “Our people are living in harsh conditions, no basic facilities, no regard,” said Jooste. He added that, “The community is just tired, their voices is not heard about their own community.”
SMF News asked Stuart Grobbelaar, the Stellenbosch Municipality’s spokesperson, to comment on the concerns raised by Jamestown residents but no response was received by the time of publication.