Kliptown, Emuva Kwa Sporo residents take to the streets over housing

The maze of shacks built almost on top of each other is what the mind’s eye pictures at any mention of Kliptown.

Ironically, this is the site of the historic meeting where the Freedom Charter was drafted on June 26, 1955.

This historic document contains 10 core principles of which housing is a crucial part of restoring the dignity of many who, 20 years after democracy, still live under conditions which differ starkly to those of their neighbours in Extension Seven.

The road separating the two areas was named Boundary Road and serves as a line of demarcation between Kliptown and Eldorado Park.

The two, have a shared history as many Eldos residents originally hailed from Kliptown before being moved into a then developing Eldorado Park.

Kliptown has since degenerated into a nest of criminal activity where wanted criminals can disappear with ease.

Extension Seven residents have voiced their concerns at illicit activities such as drug dealing, robbery, murder and rape spilling over the boundary into their backyards.

There are, of course, law abiding citizens in Kliptown, who seek nothing but a roof over their heads and a place to come home to after work, and residents took to the streets during the early hours of May 2, to vent their frustration at the perceived slow delivery of housing.

“A plan had been drafted to get residents relocated to a proposed site next to the golf course,” according to Ward 17 Councillor Peter Rafferty.

He said that the process had been halted after allegations of corruption and fraud were leveled against the regional director of housing.

Rafferty added that the allegations had proven to be unfounded and reiterated that the process was subject to subsidy approval by the Department of Housing.

The protests disrupted transport to and from Kliptown.

Nearby shops were looted by protesters.

According to reports, sporadic gunshots were fired and the area became a virtual no-go zone.

Rafferty indicated that the protest was led by Ward 19 (Dlamini) residents in a bid to have their call for houses heard by government.

At the time of going to print, Rafferty said that “A meeting has been arranged with Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing, Mzobanzi Ntuli to meet with the leadership to ascertain what caused residents to protest because relocation is an ongoing process.”

Meanwhile, Kliptown residents and ‘Emva Kwa Sporo’ (behind the railway line) inhabitants continue the fight for ‘house for all’ as enshrined in the Freedom Charter.

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