SIS Naomi is one of the first persons to erect a shack in Lacey Road in 1995 when it was still a forest and children from the neighbourhood would come to play and fresh spring water, flowed freely. A lot has changed since then, and now the place is home to over 200 families.
“We came here in 1995 from Mayville, it was only these two shacks you see here and all here it was just a bushy veld. Even though the municipality did not want us here, we stayed and built until we had our own committee that included a chairperson and marshalls who ensured that everyone was safe. Things started to change when people started to fight for leadership positions, which caused this terrible state we find ourselves in. Everyone in this place is scared to speak up and I personally have given up hope about things ever changing in this place,” said Naomi.
“Development is happening in other areas, but nothing is happening here except for them giving us stand numbers. Poverty here is our friend, numerous political leaders have been coming here to promise us change, but still nothing. Corruption, crime in this area is rife. Our shacks are very old and we are reminded of this every-time it rains. When it rains, I have stay up all night just to ensure that my shack doesn’t get washed away,” said the elderly woman.
Sitting next to Sis Naomi, is Lindiwe Dlamini who settled in Lacey Road on 8 February 1996 after relocating from West Road in Overport and just like Sis Naomi, Lindiwe says life in the settlement is no longer the same.
“Life here is very bad. We were told not to build any solid structures and that 107 houses must remain, so that proper housing will be built, but after that was said, we saw a lot of shacks being built all over and with that came more shebeens and crime increased. The committees that we had were also dissolved. People started to sell portions of land for R7 000 while others bought them for R14 000. You could not say anything, you had to to keep your mouth shut or else you would be killed. What we want to happen is that all the people who bought land here must be leave this place, to give space for the development that was promised,” she said.
According to Statistics SA, approximately 1.9 million South African households are living in informal dwellings, such as shacks or shanties in informal settlements or in backyards. According to Stats SA the number of South Africans living in formal housing has increased from 76 percent to 80 percent. This shows progress by government in providing housing for low income and female-headed households. While the housing survey by Statistics South Africa showed significant improvement, however the report suggests that the percentage of informal settlements has not been dented.
