Mayor of Cape Town Dan Plato says he will be fast-tracking the process to declare Bo-Kaap a heritage site.
This comes weeks after residents put their bodies on the line to oppose developers beginning a building project in Lion Street.
Bo-Kaap Civic Association chairperson Osman Shaboodien says the people of Bo-Kaap have mixed feelings about Plato's announcement.
He says they were promised the same in 2013 but that the applications remained in former mayor Patricia de Lille's office for the longest time.
We are sceptical about it because why wait for another two years, is it because you want to allow other plans to go through and allow more development in the area?
— Osman Shaboodien, Bo-Kaap Civic Association chairperson
We need to own our history. It doesn't just belong to the people of Bo Kaap but it belongs to all the people of Cape Town.
— Osman Shaboodien, Bo-Kaap Civic Association chairperson
I don't know why are we selling ourselves short with short-term gain for long-term destruction.
— Osman Shaboodien, Bo-Kaap Civic Association chairperson
To hear the rest of the conversation, listen below:
