Plot 8 informal settlement community feels forgotten by authorities
Residents raise questions about why their informal settlement is never considered for infrastructure upgrades
A seemingly forgotten community is still searching for the chance to build their future on solid ground.
Plot 8/ Mhlangeni informal settlement is among the oldest in Roodepoort with some having called it home for almost 30 years. Aaron Baba is one such man who recalls how the makeshift dwellings predate the houses and other structures on Schlapo, Belloc and Schreiner Streets. For years, Aaron and other community members have been trying to have basic services installed on the land but with no success.
Feeling as if they have been forgotten by authorities, Aaron has watched as many residents of informal settlements in Roodepoort have had their lives improved, with Plot 8 always excluded. Princess, Rugby Club and Zandspruit informal settlements have all received infrastructural upgrades while other groups have been given new flats, yet the area along Progress Road remains neglected.
The condition of the informal settlement has deteriorated over time, with dirt roads used for access eroding beyond use. Aaron noted how last year a fire had torn through 13 shacks as emergency services struggled to access the burning structures because of lack of accessibility. Additionally, throughout the wet summer, the shacks along the slopes and in the valley of the rolling hills have frequently flooded.
The residents have been asking for housing officials and local governance to either answer their calls or at the very least visit their living conditions to experience their plight. “We are living among snakes and rats and we are crying,” said Aaron on the morning of March 9 when the floor of his shack was submerged. “Children could not go to school and they are doing assessment for term one,” he added.
City of Johannesburg’s Housing Department has been approached for comment but no response has been received yet. Ward 127 councillor, Clarence Tabane did respond to questions, stating that no improvements could be made on the land because of an unresolved dispute with the land owner. “I know of plans by the then ANC-led government to electrify the area, and the DA-led government changed the plans,” claimed Councillor Tabane.
Asked what he envisioned for those seemingly abandoned on Plot 8, Councillor Tabane said, “As the ward councillor I would like to see the dignity of the residents of Plot 8 respected and protected, I would like to see residents of Plot 8 having access to basic services like electricity, adequate water and sanitation facilities, proper roads and adequate housing, creating decent living conditions. I would like to see Plot 8 being one of the targeted informal settlements for the upgrading of the informal settlements programme.”
Aaron was unimpressed by the councillor’s response, claiming the community had heard the explanation before and had been trying for years to get the attention they desire. Desperate, cold and wet, Arron requested, “Does he not have a temporary plan for us, or can he not even come to see us?”
