Angolan railway demolitions

[John Ashworth]

ANGOLAN RAILWAY DEMOLITIONS

Railways Africa on July 7, 2011 in Angola

This press report was sent to us by Anton van Schalkwyk:

“8 March 2011 marked the start of ‘Operation combat and demolition of shacks and anarchic constructions in the municipality of Lubango’, in the capital of the south-western province of Huila in Angola. So far, 2,000 houses have been demolished along the Moçâmedes Railway (CFM) which has been under reconstruction since 2005 and will ultimately re-connect the coastal harbour town of Namibe to the southern province of Kuando Kubango, passing through the province of Hui­la as part of the country’s programme for national reconstruction. A thousand more houses are to follow in the second phase of the operation.

“It is not the first time that large-scale demolitions have taken place in Angola, that ironically are part of the government’s efforts to rebuild the country after a war that lasted over three decades. During the parliamentary elections campaign of 2008, the Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos promised to construct a million houses spread over the country’s18 provinces until 2012. After the elections, it turned out that the majority of these houses will have to be built by citizens themselves under government-led ‘auto-construction’ programmes. The minimum average cost for construction in Angola is about $US300 per square metre, while over half the Angolan population still lives on less than US$2 a day. Meanwhile, ‘illegal’ houses continue to be demolished in the capital city of Luanda (an estimated 3,000 homes affecting 15,000 people in 2009), and increasingly in the interior provinces of the country like the coastal province of Benguela and recently, Huila to clear ground for new public construction or infrastructure projects.’

“Although Angola’s recently approved constitution secures and charges the government with the promotion of the right to housing and quality of life (article 85), entire neighbourhoods all over the country continue to lack access to water and electricity. The government’s arrogant and neglectful attitude towards this right is illustrated by the recent demolitions in Lubango, which have received virtually no attention in the state media.

“According to local non-governmental organisations, to date almost 3,000 families have been evicted and temporarily accommodated in schools and stadiums before being forcibly transferred to Tchavola, an area 9km outside of Lubango city centre where they are expected to rebuild their lives. Although journalists are not allowed to enter the area, this week independent newspaper Novo Jornal was able to find out that during a visit of CFM railway officials in November 2009, people were notified about the evictions but told that they would all would receive new houses. It now appears that these houses must be built by the people themselves on plots to be bought from provincial government for about $US250 each.

“There are also reports that parts of the assigned plots are on farming land, which has sparked tensions between the displaced families and the original inhabitants of Tchavola. So far, only 700 tents have been distributed to provide the families in Tchavola with temporary shelter. Children are missing school and parents, which include teachers and public officials, are not going to work as they are afraid to leave the area and miss out on plots or tents for their families. Basic sanitary conditions are lacking – there are only open waterholes – and there is little to no access to electricity, food or blankets. These conditions are exacerbated by the frequent and heavy rainfall.

“While the minister for Urban Development and Construction José Ferreira attended the 5th World Urban Forum in Brazil (during which the will to shortly open a UN-Habitat office in Angola was reiterated), MPLA flags were burnt by people in the Sofrio quarter in Lubango. Central government then ordered the demolitions to be stopped, indicating that the complete operation was instructed from above.

The demolitions were later resumed, but limited to all dwellings within a scope of 25 to 30 metres around the railway instead of the earlier 50 metres, saving about 100 houses. Angolan civil society, leaders of the political opposition as well as the Catholic Church in the person of the archbishop of Lubango have spoken out against the demolitions, receiving letters of
support from all over the world.”