‘No one cares about us’ – Jackson Informal Squatter Camp residents speak out
"The long grass is a haven for thugs - we are mugged day in and day out."
SINCE 1990, the Jackson Informal Squatter Camp in Eikenhof has received little infrastructure development and its residents feel neglected.
When the COURIER visited the area on Tuesday, March 28, the residents vented their dissatisfaction and frustration. Portia Genu, who led the residents’ delegation, did not mince her words when she said they are fed up with most of the things in the area.
LIVING TO TELL THE TALE: Kabule Tadesse, who was shot at by robbers at his David Tuck Shop.
“We take our transport to work as early as 4am in a pitch dark area with long grass. There is no taxi or bus rank, no electricity. This long grass is a haven for thugs – we are mugged day in and day out. Thugs are targeting Somali tuck shops in the area.
“The struggle with toilets that do not flush and community taps that are on the gravel streets are some of the challenges we are facing. Where is the Mayor? He said he will take care of the people of Johannesburg. I don’t want to talk about Mondeor police – we prefer to be serviced by De Deur police, because there is absolutely nothing that can be put on the table to show that they (Mondeor police) are working,” she explained.
Kabule Tadesse, who owns David Tuck Shop in the area, said on March 21 he was attacked by seven gun-wielding men. “It was about 9pm when they came to attack me. They shot at me with automatic rifles about 16 times. One bullet hit me on my right thigh and the other grazed my forehead. They took everything in my tuck shop – even my documents like ID, passport, etc. and burnt them in the nearby veld,” he said.
MAKESHIFT RANK: Community members from Jackson Informal Squatter Camp in Eikenhof wait next to the trees they called “taxi rank”.
The community unanimously agreed that Mayor Clr Herman Mashaba must visit the area to gain first-hand experience of their living conditions, because they do not want to take the law into their own hands.
STRUGGLE: One of the street toilets that does not flush. Each street has only one toilet.
The COURIER contacted Mondeor Police Station regarding these allegations and a meeting is scheduled with their station commander. On the same day the COURIER visited Jackson Informal Squatter Camp, March 28, the Mondeor police had already apprehended two of the suspects who were involved in the armed robbery of Kabule Tadesse.
TAPS: They fetch water from taps on the streets.
The City of Johannesburg was also contacted and the COURIER is waiting for their response.
LEADER: Portia Genu wants Mayor Clr Herman Mashaba to visit them and see the conditions they live in.
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