Amid the highly contagious coronavirus spikes, there are reports that in the local informal settlements Covid-19 safety protocols are hardly observed, posing a serious health threat to all
After receiving such claims, the Advertiser visited one of the most densely populated informal settlements in the metro, Angelo informal settlement, where there are also fears Covid-19 infections are most likely spreading undetected.
However, judging from the interviewees’ responses, it seems people living in the informal settlements understand the importance of following the prescribed Covid-19 transmission-prevention measures, but their living conditions somehow restrain their compliance.
They said since March they have been grappling with adhering to the government-imposed lockdown regulations meant to fight the invisible enemy, but the conditions in an overcrowded area without adequate basic services prevent many from doing so.
“We know that to protect ourselves against the virus, everyone has to wash their hands regularly, wear a mask, avoid unnecessary travelling and practise physical distancing. But how do we practise physical distancing given our current conditions where dozens of families, consisting of at least three members, are sharing one small yard?
“Due to the limited space in the yards, others end up exiting their shared tiny shacks to sit in the tiny passageways which result in crowded streets, where people sit in groups with others who are not wearing masks or have a clear understanding of how the virus spread.
“The reality is that some of the guidelines are not applicable to us living in this densely populated neighbourhood where many families sharing one-roomed shacks live closely together,” said Jethro Dlava, one of the concerned residents.
Dlava pointed out that on top of that, residents do not have enough toilets.
“We have to line up to use communal taps and chemical toilets, each shared by more than five households. And those toilets are only cleaned and drained twice a week. That on its own increases community vulnerability to transmission.
“Apart from Covid-19, our community is already highly susceptible to transmissible diseases because of the poor living conditions, including poor environmental hygiene, poor sanitation and waste management, and households sharing one-roomed shacks and communal toilets and taps, and the lack of many basic resources. Our leaders have been pleading with government to improve our living conditions, yet these efforts continue to receive minimal attention from authorities,” said Dlava.
Another resident, Happy Masilele, said they understand the seriousness of the matter and she and her family have been terrified to leave their home ever since they first heard news of the spread of Covid-19.
“I encourage my family and fellow residents to sanitise or wash their hands regularly, wear masks, avoid unnecessary travelling and getting too close to one another. We know the coronavirus is here and is a deadly disease that has claimed many lives in just a few months. We have gathered a lot of information from the news about this virus. I advised everyone to always avoid close contact and to wear a mask when in public areas,” she said.
Another resident, Sibusiso Mbendane, said what he knows about the coronavirus is that it is a dangerous disease that kills people.
“I’m scared of it because I’ve seen many people admitted to hospital because of coronavirus,” said Mbendane.
He echoed Dlava’s sentiments that in some sections of the informal settlements, observing some of the preventive measures, such as social distancing, is simply unachievable with the shacks in their current state.
“These are challenges that need to be addressed by our government,” he said.
All the interviewed residents admitted that some fellow residents were holding parties, even on the streets, before cabinet imposed the second ban on the sale of alcohol.
Local NPO Planact also raised concerns about the effect of the virus on the poor residents of the informal settlements.
Planact has been calling on government to prioritise challenges facing inhabitants of the densely populated informal settlements, amid the spread of Covid-19.
The organisation, established in 1985 to promote transparency and accountability at local governance level, launched a campaign called Asivikelane (let’s protect each other) designed to promote safety practices among the residents of informal settlements in Gauteng and encourages government to play its part.
The initiative also gives voice to informal settlement residents in South Africa’s major cities who are faced with severe basic service shortages during the Covid-19 crisis.
“With the Covid-19 curve infection rate at peak in Gauteng, shared water and toilet facilities make these informal settlement residents extremely vulnerable to infection.It is critical that this portion of our society is protected as some informal settlements are now Covid-19 hot spots and their efforts to engage with the municipality have been met with a slow response.
“We are calling on more informal settlement residents in the City of Ekurhuleni to join the initiative and improve service delivery in their own communities. With over 100 days since the initiative started, Planact has seen the City of Ekurhuleni to be more responsive in attending to the results we share from our initiative called Asivikelane.
“We want to keep that momentum and assist more communities,” said Planact senior programme coordinator Mike Makwela.
According to Makwela, municipalities have minimum standards for the frequency of toilet cleaning and water provision, but in the context of Covid-19 this standard is likely to be insufficient.
“This endangers the lives of these residents daily, and during a pandemic, the lives of all South Africans. The National Treasury found more than R5-billion to allocate to informal settlement services, and some metropolitan municipalities are finding innovative ways to distribute hand sanitiser and clean shared toilets daily.
“Reading the latest auditor-general report shows that pouring more money into the leaky bucket of local government service delivery systems will not translate to better services. This is where the Asivikelane campaign comes in to help those closest to the problem to monitor the delivery of services and begin a dialogue with the government to ensure scarce public money goes to those who need it most, and is spent efficiently,” said Makwela.
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