Jack in a shack visiting Springs

“I visit deprived communities in Gauteng once a month and spend the night in a shack to experience conditions for myself,” he says.

He visited Daggafontein, Never-never and Everest informal settlements.

It is Bloom’s third visit to Springs.

He spent a night in Duduza last month and also in KwaThema in November and says he will be visiting more settlements as long as it is possible to do so.

He was accompanied by DA Constituency MPL Glenda Steyn, and DA councillors Ashor Sarupen, Dean Stone (ward councillor of Never-never), Shadow Shabangu (ward councillor of Daggafontein), Mandla Motha, Zodwa Radebe and Ramesh Sheodin (ward councillor of Everest).

This was his 30th night in a shack after his Don’t Forget the Forgotten campaign was launched two-and-a-half years ago.

His aim is to put informal settlements on the map.

Bloom claims residents of informal settlements seek change to improve their living conditions and are often forgotten by government.

He stayed at the home of resident Jabu Xaba, who is unemployed and has lived there for years.

Xaba was pleased to host the caucus leader and he hoped something positive will come from this visit.

Shabangu informed Bloom that part of the land at Daggafontein is owned by the council, and the rest by two private landowners.

“Those who are close to the mine dumps will have to move as it is dangerously radioactive,” said Shabangu.

According Shabangu, the 250 residents of Daggafontein were supposed to move to RDP houses in KwaThema Extension Three last year. These houses were invaded illegally and left the Daggafontien community angry and frustrated.

The chairman of the committee at the informal settlement, Stanley Sibiye, was also impressed with Bloom’s visit and said no-one ever came to talk or listen to them.

“It’s a sad situation,” said Bloom, “Daggafontein is quite an orderly settlement with houses reasonably spaced out and upgrading is possible if electricity and piped water are installed.”

He added water was a problem at all these settlements.

He found only 18 taps were available for 2 200 shacks at Daggafontein, only two taps for 108 shacks at Never-never, and seven taps for about 2 000 shacks at Everest.

Many of these taps were leaking, wasting large amounts of water.

“How difficult can it be to fix these leaks with a decent tap?” he asked.

He added it was an indication of the general neglect of these areas by Ekurhuleni council.

The group’s second visit was to the residents at Never-Never.

Community leader Tshepo Malemela explained the name meant that residents feel they will ‘Never-never get housing’.

Bloom handed over packets of Magic Fit, a chemical to sanitise drop toilets, to Malemela.

Stone said he added housing into his ward’s Integrated Development Plan of the metro every year, but nothing happened because the province won’t fund it.

He added the land is presently privately owned and earmarked for a mall development.

“Meanwhile, the residents of Never-never are neglected, surrounding grass is not cut, and residents kill about four or five snakes a month,” said Bloom.

Everest was Bloom’s last stop before he left for Daggafontein to spend the night there.

He said the problem at Everest, is that more and more people keep arriving, including foreigners who work illegally at mines.

Residents have dug their own pit toilets, and their biggest demand is for electricity.

According to Sheodin there are toilets without houses in the Payneville area, but this development is stalled by court action by objecting neighbours.

“Some residents I spoke to at Everest said they would not vote in the elections in protest against their conditions,” says Bloom.

Bloom commented he spent a peaceful night at Daggafontein and the residents deserve better from the authorities who generally ignore them and other informal settlements in the area.