#JoburgStorm: Zandspruit community seeks urgent assistance from City

Councillor for Ward 117 in Zandspruit, Victor Mafinya, has sent out an appeal to local government to help with aid after the disastrous storm on 9 October.

“We have already received donations from [NGOs], but we have not even touched the surface,” Mafinya said.

The storm that battered the informal settlement left 67 families without shelter and basic supplies.

“Out of the 67, we only have one family who has managed to rebuild their home with the help of their employer,” Mafinya said.

Mafinya said that he has appealed to Johannesburg City Parks to remove large trees, dangerously looming over hundreds of homes.

“If another disaster happens, these trees will cause big problems,” Mafinya added.

“We now realise that environmental changes are starting to affect us; it is no longer just shack fires that worry us; storms and tornadoes are things that we are not used to,”

“I have appealed to [Mayor] Herman Mashaba to fast-track the removal of these trees; the ground is soft and the roots are loose, so they may even fall over without another storm.”

Some homes still lay crushed under giant trees, and some are mostly inaccessible due to blockages and dangerous fallen power cables.

According to Mafinya, about 90 per cent of residents in Zandspruit were still without power, mostly due to illegally connected electricity.

About 25 years ago, Zandspruit was a dusty farm with only basic infrastructure. When informal settlers moved in, many had to adapt with dangerous illegal connections.

Mafinya added, “We cannot continue to live with illegal connections, it’s just too dangerous when a disaster like this hits. I have asked the city council to fast-track formal electricity in our area. Our community is very strong,” said Mafinya.

“If we do not get help, we have to help each other; they don’t wait, they just come out and help.”

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