Kwa-Mathambo settlers take a positive stance
Tired of waiting for the municipality to provide proper dwellings to the families living in 43 shacks at the Kwa-Mathambo Informal Settlement, the community have begun to raise funds to facilitate their own 'upgrade' project.
DESPONDENT residents of the Kwa-Mathambo Informal Settlement have opted to take their future into their own hands by raising some of the funds required to upgrade the shacks of 29 families, who they say have been ‘left behind’ by the municipality.
In 2013, a fire tore through the settlement destroying 270 shacks and leaving hundreds of people homeless. At the time the municipality promised to build houses for the community. While the city honoured its promise to some of the families who lost their homes during the blaze, the 43 shacks that survived the fire were left stagnant and unattended.
According to Nomusa Khumalo, a member of the settlement’s committee, the residents have been made several desperate pleas to the city to improve their living conditions as well as provide these individuals with proper dwellings. The situation escalated in May when the community executed an illegal land invasion, building 15 shacks on municipal land, while blocking North Coast Road with burning material.
However, their appeals have continuously fallen on deaf ears, and now the fed-up residents have decided to take matters into their own hands, she said.
Now, with efforts being made by the city to provide the rebuilt homes with electricity the community are not only hoping to upgrade the 43 shacks but also to convince the municipality to include these shacks in the city’s power grid. “Construction workers have confirmed that the shacks will not be included in the electrification project,” said another community representative, Ndodeni Dengo.
Dengo confirmed that the community had managed to raise R1 300 towards the project and had also received a donation from local NGO, the Community Organisation Resource Centre. “We are hoping to increase the shacks to 10 square meters and fortify them against leaks and fire, as well as build a proper drainage system to prevent the water from flowing down the embankment and underneath the shacks. Rain is a massive problem for the people living in the shacks. The water leaks in from the roves as well as from the bottom. Almost all of their belongings get soaked, the can’t sleep and they are constantly battling flu and other illnesses,” he said.
Nathi Gwala, who runs a photo copy shop from his shack said many of his electronics have been damaged by the rain, crippling his main source of income.
Local ward councillor, Deochand Ganesh, said he was not aware of the community’s planned ‘upgrade’, but said he would gladly motivate towards having the shacks included in the electrification project. However, he urged to residents to ensure that all of the plans are authorised by the housing and human settlement department.
Roy Singh who owns two properties in the epicentre of the settlement said although he has been inundated with problems regarding the settlement he did not oppose the upgrade project, as long as the residents did not encroach onto his properties.
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