Plastic City headache continues
It was confirmed that Plastic City is not a suitable place for human beings to live.
The launch of the Siyaqhuba campaign, a programme that seeks to address service delivery issues within the metro, was a glimmer of hope for neglected and marginalised communities, like the Plastic City community in Brakpan.
A mayoral event was held in Ward 97 (Brakpan) on March 3, as part of the Siyaqhuba campaign.
Numerous concerns and issues were raised, especially those pertaining to the Plastic City informal settlement.
Read: Siyaqhuba Friday highlights Brakpan service delivery issues
“Plastic City has become a harbour for criminals, illegal immigrants and unlawful activities, posing a huge threat to the community and the residents of the surrounding areas,” said DA ward councillor for the area, Brandon Pretorius.
“It was, therefore, decided that a task team be put together to formulate a report on Plastic City in order to address the major concerns raised.
According to Pretorius, the task team convened for their first meeting on March 8 and formulated a report comprising of a summary of issues identified, findings and recommendations.
“Although the report was only compiled by the members of the task team, it was later discovered the report reflected some information that was not decided by the task team, a clear indication that the report had been tampered with,” he said.
“One of the agreed upon recommendations was that the informal settlement needed to be relocated as a matter of urgency and priority as it was confirmed that Plastic City is not a suitable place for human beings to live.
“Basic services are not provided for the community of Plastic City as the Ekurhuleni Metro does not recognise the site as an informal settlement.
“Subsequently, the community is forced to live in an air polluted, rodent infested and filthy site.”
Pretorius told the Herald that the task team will, therefore, be making the following recommendations to the Operations Rapid Intervention Team (ORIT):
• To officially recognise the Brakpan/Plastic City Integrated Service Delivery Task Team.
• To ensure that officials are to be seconded to serve in the task team – guided by clear terms of reference.
• To hold departments to their commitments and monitor their progress.
• To support the task team in securing the resources required to meet their objectives.
“The Human Settlements and Waste Departments, the two major departments connected to this issue, have not bothered to attend any meetings of the task team to resolve this issue, nor have they been forthcoming with ideas to eradicate this mess,” said Pretorius.
“I do hope that ORIT will monitor and evaluate the adherence to service delivery standards of services by the above-mentioned departments.
“It is a constitutional and basic human right to live in dignity and the metro is violating this right.
“It seems to me that the residents of Brakpan have yet again been smoked screened by the mayor, and his Siyaqhuba campaign which was perceived as a glimmer of hope but is just another fly-by-night project.”
• The EMPD, SAPS and immigration officers from the Department of Home Affairs raided the informal settlement on Tuesday in an effort to clamp down on undocumented immigrants.
Twenty-five illegal immigrants were arrested and liquor and illegal mining equipment was seized.
Watch a video taken inside the informal settlement on Tuesday.
Also read: WATCH: Plastic City continues to burn
Eviction on the cards for plastic squatters
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