Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, was joined by City officials and Members of the Mayoral Committee to inspect the current issues faced by informal settlements in the ward on 21 November.
The Ruimsig informal settlement hopes for formalisation. Community leader, Ashley Mama, explained that residents of the settlement are repeatedly pushed from pillar to post when reporting crime, wanting healthcare, or even attending school as the settlement falls under both the City of Johannesburg and Mogale City municipalities.
Knott acknowledged the problem and advised that the way forward would be to sit down with Mogale City and confirm the borders of the municipality. She advised residents to welcome formalisation and upliftment of the informal settlement as it will immediately boost the area in terms of value as well as service delivery.
Even though there is a budget of R10 million allocated to Region C for the development of settlements, that money does not always stretch to solve issues in every settlement. Knott explained that a specific project, such as formalising the settlement, would need to be outlined in the annual Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for a specific budget.
“I have placed the Ruimsig and Magnum informal settlements, as well as the Ruimsig plots, within my IDP for assessment and budget approval within the next financial year,” Knott advised.
Housing development Region C project manager, Thozamile Jayiya, explained that the area has been earmarked for development, but the department is waiting on the Johannesburg Property Company for a progress report before they can move forward.
Development in this area is paramount ,as Knott is worried about the illegal connections in the settlement. These low-lying connections are a serious hazard to adults and children. She added that some of the street light poles are ready to fall over with the weight of all the illegal cables. The illegal connections also contribute to various power outages in the ward due to overloading.
Settlement residents are also wasting water by tapping into fire hydrants, which they are then unable to properly close. Superintendent Wandile Mrubata of Metro police, advised community leaders to educate the residents about water wastage.
In Zandspruit Extension, there are individuals who are ‘shack farming’ – which is when shack dwellers rent land from landowners to keep their shack on the land. Shack farming is an issue when it comes to service delivery. “The problem with people living off private plots is that the City cannot provide services to these residents as they are basically living illegally on privately-owned land. The land here is zoned as agricultural and allows for one dwelling unit,” Knott added.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Anthony Still suggested that since the landowners are charging rent for shacks in settlements, such as Magnum informal settlement, they should provide basic services and install Jojo water tanks.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Development and Planning, Richard Funzela Ngobeni suggested a round table discussion should be held once a summary of all issues discussed on 21 November had been compiled so that a way forward can be planned. He will be integral in assisting with discussions between the City and Johannesburg Property Company with regards to housing projects.
