Durban - Residents of informal settlements in and around Reservoir Hills and New Germany have accused the eThekwini Municipality of neglecting them and failing to address issues of land, housing and basic sanitation.
The residents called on Durban mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, during a community imbizo held at the Siripat Sports Fields yesterday, to put forward specific time lines for when the houses promised to them would be delivered.
They said issues of blocked drains and toilets and their unkempt informal settlements all stemmed from the problem of housing.
Residents said key challenges included unemployment, lack of refuse collection, sewage and a lack of recreational facilities and schools in the community.
Kaunda’s imbizo came as a result of recent protests in the area which closed the M19 in the vicinity of Reservoir Hills.
Residents, especially from New Germany informal settlement who led the protests last week, revealed that one of the problems that sparked protests was that 1 000 people shared two toilets, as the rest were no longer being serviced.
Most of the residents of informal settlements on Quarry Road, along the Palmiet River and New Germany opposed the proposed plan of moving them to other wards, despite living on a floodplain which was flooded during the April’s floods resulting in several of their homes being lost.
“What is stopping the municipality from building for us here where we have established our lives? If you move us, where will we work?” asked resident Phakamisani Kubheka.
Another resident, Siyabonga Ngobese, challenged the municipality to deliver, saying whenever they build homes, the city demolished them.
“The mayor only came here because of the strike, which means that each time we want the mayor, we will have to strike. We are told that the places where we want to build are floodplains, but we have seen malls and churches being built on that same land. We want homes, we want our dignity,” said Ngobese.
Community activist Ron Naidoo said: “This ward needs an experienced councillor and the councillor’s undivided attention. If the issues of land and housing are sorted, the rest will fall into place,” she said.
After hearing all the grievances, Kaunda instructed the relevant officials to deal with the issues by the end of the week, except the issue of land and housing as he needed further consultation.
He instructed a Durban Solid Waste manager, present at the imbizo, to deal with the issue of pollution, and for the water and sanitation department to ensure the toilets were fixed before the end of the week.
“We have recently concluded allocating the soon-to-be-built houses to residents of Banana City and Umgudulu Road informal settlements. All the necessary supply chain processes have been completed. We will (commence) the construction of houses this coming week,” said Kaunda.
He also cautioned residents against embarking on violent protests and damaging municipal infrastructure.
Ward 23 councillor Alicia Kissoon described the meeting as a positive one that saw the mayor hold responsible departments accountable.
“As the mayor gave deadlines, we will have to wait and give the departments time to respond to the issues.”