Residents of Macassar in Cape Town are standing firm against the planned relocation of thousands of families who have illegally occupied the central commuter railway line. They argue that their community is already struggling with service delivery challenges, such as inadequate policing, and is not ready to handle the resettlement plan proposed by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

Waseemah Flaendorp, a community leader, expressed frustration, stating, “I am infuriated by Prasa's blatant disregard for their promises. In 2022, they assured us they would prioritize engaging our community before moving forward with this land acquisition. Yet here we are, witnessing their unilateral actions without as much as a courtesy consultation.”

Prasa has been working to reclaim the central line since it was first disrupted by shack dwellers in 2019 and then invaded en masse during the Covid-19 lockdown, severely disrupting urban transport operations.

The City of Cape Town has intervened, lobbying to take over management of commuter rail services in the metro area and setting up a central line relocation project steering committee to oversee the process.

The relocation plan targets more than 5,000 households living in unauthorized structures at Langa, Philippi, and Khayelitsha railway stations along the line.

Responding to queries about the Macassar plan, Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said, “The central line relocation project steering committee leading the relocation will make an official comment on the matter in due course. Prasa is making steady progress in recovering the rest of the central line from Philippi to Chris Hani. Contractors are on site rehabilitating the rail infrastructure.”

Despite Prasa's efforts, residents are mobilizing against the proposal, planning a lawful protest to express their discontent and opposition. They are eager for the central railway line to resume service but do not support the relocation of illegal occupants to Macassar.

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