Mkhwebane to fast-track housing for Roodepoort tent dwellers

Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has vowed to engage all stakeholders involved in the long-standing relocation programme for the displaced tent dwellers of Plot 323, reports Roodepoort Northsider.

Residents have been living in dire conditions in brown tents in Wilgespruit for the past three years after they were evicted by the Red Ants from a nearby plot in 2016.

After spending several days on the streets, they were provided with the tents by the Gauteng Provincial Government, and the City of Johannesburg provided water and sanitation.

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Public representatives and various organisations have in the past visited the plot to either provide basic aid to them or to make promises to step in and alleviate their plight. However, these interventions were not enough for the frustrated inhabitants, who then resorted to calling upon advocate Mkhwebane to intervene in the matter.

A letter was written to her office by Lebo Mofokane, the ANC deputy chairperson in Ward 97, who has been a messiah for these people with regard to pushing for progress on their matter.

Prior to addressing the crowd which gathered at Ruimsig Athletics Stadium, Mkhwebane conducted a site visit to Plot 323, during which she raised a handful of questions regarding the shameful conditions in which these plot dwellers were living.

On speaking to the media, Mkhwebane explained the purpose of her visit.

“The reason for my visit is to meet with the residents of the [area] after we received a complaint in June about the City’s delay in delivering on its promises,” she said.

Temporary housing on a piece of land in the area was announced last year by the MMC for economic development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, but the project appears to be going through a number of technical hitches.

Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, being briefed by Lebo Mofokane, the ANC deputy chairman in Ward 97, during her site visit to Plot 323. Photo: Siso Naile.

Mkhwebane explained how she intended to assist the dwellers.

“We are here to help speed up the process. As the public protector, we investigate undue delays and issues of maladministration. In this case, we will have to check whether the land was allocated and find out why nothing is moving forward, and also find out about the possible allocation of resources,” she explained.

As part of her intervention, she mentioned that she plans to invite the Gauteng Provincial Government, the City of Johannesburg, the department of home affairs and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to meet in one room to discuss the matter.

“As the public protector, we have the mandate to mediate an alternative dispute resolution. You’ll find out that it’s not even necessary for us to investigate – it’s a matter of us working with them (the stakeholders) to assist this community because their situation impacts on a number of issues,” she explained.

Mkhwebane also saw a need to rope in the HRC after the community complained about the issues they have with the ablution facilities, and the fact that the children did not have access to schools. The closest affordable public schools for these learners are located in Zandspruit and Cosmo City, which are quite a distance from the settlement.

Mkhwebane also plans to involve the department of home affairs, as some of the locals and the foreigners lost their identity documents or visas during the eviction.

Before she left, she committed to updating the leadership of the settlement on the progress on the matter every six weeks, in an effort to resolve the matter speedily.

She concluded by thanking the dwellers for being patient all this time and not taking matters into their own hands.

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