Watch: A place called home
During her budget speech in May, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu called for the abolishment of hostels, which are homes to thousands of residents.
Residents at Meadowlands Hostel, Soweto, are hoping that their living conditions will soon improve as Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced that millions had been allocated to abolishing hostels and hostel dwellers, with backyard dwellers on the department’s priority list.
Community leader, Mvunyelwa Majola known to locals as Induna who has been a resident of the hostel since 1981, said hope for a better tomorrow encourages them to improve their living conditions.
“We don’t have much, but we make due with the little that we’ve got. Politicians come and go with their promises to help us, years go by and nothing has been done,” said Majola who gathers residents weekly to participate in a cleaning campaign.
“The hostel has insufficient waste management systems. It’s up to us to make sure that the place is clean, otherwise we will contract diseases. Especially our children as they play next to the rubbish and sewage.
“This cleaning campaign has also turned into a political thing with local activists from different parties attempting to help us in an effort to sway our votes. It’s sad to know that this is what our lives are valued for.
“They remember the help we need when they need votes. They don’t communicate or inform us about programmes and projects that could uplift our people and community,” said Majola.
Unemployment prevails in this community.
Before being retrenched more than 10 years ago, Majola worked as a cleaner at a steel company.
Like hundreds of residents in the hostel, he left the rurals of KwaZulu-Natal for Johannesburg to look for employment.
