‘We had no choice but to protest’
Chairperson of newly formed committee say residents will be forced to protest again if the city and councillor don't keep their promise.
THERE seems to be a resolution at hand following last week’s protest by residents of Malacca Road Informal Settlement, which saw parts of the road being barricaded. After a meeting between city officials, uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, and residents from the settlement, it was decided they would form a committee to represent the community’s needs.
Northglen News met with the newly-elected chairperson of the committee, Sibonelo Mketwa, this week to find out what the residents had decided. One of the main points of contention, Mketwa said, was the proposed moved to the Cornubia mixed-use development. Last year, residents were informed that 39 families would be moved to the new development.
“We had no choice but to protest. We requested meetings for the city and the councillor to tell us what was going on but we were not getting any answers. We felt there were false and empty promises being made so we decided to only way to make our voices heard was to protest. We are well aware that we are falling under a new ward after the municipal elections. We are concerned that once they are over, we will again be left in limbo.
“We were told in September last year that people would be relocated but we are now in May and still nothing has been done. Living in a shack isn’t a life we are proud of, there’s health concerns, there are rats and when it rains, many of the shacks flood. Part of the mandate of this committee is to have monthly meetings with the councillor and officials for updates on when the move will take place,” he said.
Among the list of concerns and complaints by residents is they are also tired of their illegal electricity connections being removed despite promises they would receive free electricity.
