'There's a church on my stoep': Residents rage against construction in Delft

Tensions flared in Delft this week as unhappy residents protested against the construction of a church they claim is too close to their homes.

The builders were told to stop digging on Tuesday as aggrieved residents said the church should be moved further away from their boundary, while others claimed they don’t want it to be built at all.

The residents said they fear that emergency services won't be able to access their homes.

A resident, Hilton Muller, said the residents moved into their homes in 2016, and since then, they have been having issues with the pastor of the church.

He said he applied for the same piece of land as he wanted to use it for recreational purposes, such as a community hall, a playpark or a creche for children in the area, but he was told that the land was sold in 2013.

"The pastor of this church has an attitude, and he is arrogant.

"The way he first approached us was disrespectful. The people of this church will not have peace. I will play my music, and we will party, and they will do nothing.

"I personally don’t want that church here; if the city can’t accommodate us, we will do something about it.”

Another resident said: "We are not saying the church is wrong, but we are asking the City to accommodate us. We are not going to allow the building of the church to continue here. Some of the residents are Africans. When there is a funeral, the body needs to come by the front of the house, not the back. There is no way a person can walk here. I am sick, and at times I need the ambulance to come and fetch me, or if our house is burning, where are the emergency services going to stand.”

The building inspector from the City of Cape Town told the residents the church was well within their rights, and the plan has been approved.

The members of the church were present during this time but said they preferred not to comment on anything.

The City’s Deputy Mayor and mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, confirmed the erf permits a place of worship (a church) as a primary right.

"A building plan application for a church building was submitted on January 16 2023 and found to be zoning compliant, thus complying with all development rules e.g. land use, building lines, height, bulk etc.

"After consideration of all relevant internal department’s comments received on the building plan application, the application was approved on July 18, 2024."