‘Cry the beloved Alex’
ALEXANDRA – Dignify the elderly and poor with land before death.
Alexandra’s philanthropist Linda Twala who has lived through most of the township’s life history regrets what has become of this once notable, history-laden area.
This oldest black settlement in Joburg and possibly countrywide is now infamously equated with the biblical Gomorrah for its decay and squalor, and vice and crime associated with its overcrowded old and dilapidated homes and shacks. Many of the informal structures have taken over the pavements and any other available space.
“Regardless of being illegal, they have even taken over space next to Alexandra Magistrates’ Court.” Twala said this is as government dithers in resolving the issues of land acquisition for proper housing and restoring title deeds to those whose homes and properties were expropriated by the previous government.
He described the situation as pitiful especially with the township being adjacent to Africa’s economic hub of Sandton.
He urged the government to exploit the festive season when prayers dominate the lives of many. “It’s a moment the government should use to bring a message of hope on land. As we wish each other well at this time, we pray that the government hears the residents’ plea for land… The government should reward the claimants with their title deeds and conclude the long-promised purchase of nearby vacant land for housing in Linbro Park and Frankenwald where animals roam freely while overcrowded humans languish without proper homes.”
Twala also urged the government to be wary of the residents’ growing impatience on broken promises and poor service delivery. “They are irked more so when they see the life of opulence in adjacent Sandton where the quality of life is higher than in many first world countries.”
He further decried his years of failed attempts, despite promises from the government, to secure land in Rietfontein for housing for senior citizens. “Many of them are now part of a growing culture of beggars and die undignified with no place to call their home.”
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