Irate Isipingo residents call for service delivery during protest

RESIDENTS of Pilgrim Informal Settlement in Isipingo took to the streets to protest against the lack of service delivery, which they claim has been delayed since 2000. On Monday morning, 10 May, the community of Isipingo and surrounding areas woke up to the sound of tins exploding inside burning tyres. 

According to residents in the area, Old Main Road in Isipingo looked like a war zone as remnants of burned out tyres were scattered across the road. Motorists were forced to take alternative routes as the roads were completely closed off.

During the protest, protesters demanded answers from eThekwini Municipality regarding the RDP houses that were promised to the community from before 1996. According to the protesters, the last meeting they had with the municipality was in 2019, where they claimed that eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, and MEC for human settlements, Thanduxolo Sabela made various promises. Ward councillor of Isipingo, Sunil Brigmohan, also attended the same meeting.

The community said a number of promises were made, which included the allocation of RDP houses with in-house flushing toilets. Isipingo SAPS and Metro Police tried to disperse the angry crowd and told them to wait for Sabela in the park.

“We were told that someone from the municipal offices was coming to sign the memorandum. However, a representative from the department of human settlements eventually arrived, escorted by the police, but before he was given a chance to speak, the crowd demanded for Sabela’s presence as we were not prepared to speak to anyone else. We are not hearing anything from this man, we are not ready to listen to him,”said Mthobisi Gasa, chairperson of the Pilgrim resident’s committee . 

“The municipality is playing mind games with us. The last time we spoke, they promised houses to the residents in February last year. They arrived with land surveyors and said they will build RDP houses next to our shacks because we work around here and there is enough space. We have been battling with this issue since 2006,” said Gasa.

“In 2018, Sabela said the project is in progress and they were only waiting to finalise a few matters before construction started. In January last year, a delegation from the municipality set the deadline for February this year, and yet nothing has happened. We are here because we have given them an additional two months, but they are ignoring us,” said Gasa.

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said hygiene is their main concern as the communal toilets are unclean, there are no doors for privacy and no water. “We are very worried because it is unhygienic and the toilets do not have any doors for privacy,” said the resident. 

“No human being can live in a place like this. I have been staying in this area for more than 20 years and nothing has changed,” she said. She added that her daughter, 14-years-old at the time, was raped at the toilets in 2018.

Sabela and Brigmohan did not attend the meeting.

Attempts to obtain a comment from the municipality proved futile at the time this article was published. The South Coast Sun attempted to reach Brigmohan for a comment, however, no response was received. 

Also read: Isipingo protest action cleared

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