POLOKO TAU
Joburg mayor Amos Masondo’s end-of-term report on how things have improved in and around Soweto was met with angry demands for more houses from residents.
They queued up to thank Masondo and the city for beautifying Soweto with trees and parks, building malls and tarring roads, but complained that they continued to live in a depressing environment in informal settlements.
In his report during a mayoral imbizo at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown on Saturday, Masondo cited the launch of the world-class public transport service Rea Vaya, the new Orlando Stadium and mixed-housing developments as evidence of the progress made by the city.
Kliptown residents have previously protested in support of houses and service delivery demands.
Angry Mamojalefa Motlamelle told officials of the unbearable living conditions in her neighbourhood.
“We live like dogs here in Kliptown and have almost given up on getting the promised houses and living in a decent environment. Our parents and grandparents have died in these shacks and it seems like we’ll also die in this depressing situation.
“We have no electricity, and the portable toilets supplied are always full and are worm infested. The whole area is filthy and the smell from all this dirt has become extremely unbearable.”
Motlamelle said residents still did not know when they would receive houses, though most had applied for RDP homes more than a decade ago.
“We are going back to our flooded shacks after this meeting. Promises are made every year that there’s a budget for Kliptown, but we see nothing happening in the area.”
Resident, Sibongile Zwane said the council had failed her community in terms of housing.
“Rainy days like today are very sad days for people of Kliptown because we literally live in water whenever it rains. We’re appealing to the city and government to speed up housing delivery and deliver us from these miserable living conditions,” she said.
A resident from an informal settlement near Bosmont, Siphamandla Nzutha, urged the city to respond to residents’ memorandums through which they had demanded houses.
“We see lots of development happening around us, but it seems like we’ll wait for the next coming of Jesus before we can get any houses. This to me is an insult to the people that we have to wait and be fed empty promises and nothing is happening.”
Residents of Orange Farm and from other parts of Soweto complained about incorrect billing by the council, the need for more parks, the rising crime rate and job creation, among other things.
Masondo said it was impossible to please everyone all at once.
“We can’t build enough houses to give to every one of you at the same time,” he said.
Before the mayoral imbizo, Masondo opened the R46 million Heroes Bridge linking Power Park and Orlando East.