‘No choice, but to protest’
Pelican Park residents had enough
‘Ihave been staying here for 16 years and I have two children, and we have been living in this dump,” said Tabisa Mago, a resident from the informal settlement, Phumlani Village.
Mago was one of 300 residents who took to the streets to protest against the inhumane living conditions.
She said she had no choice but to protest yesterday since she has been on the City of Cape Town’s housing waiting list for a long time.
Mago, with her two children, live in a shack in the informal settlement near a sewage drain which is spilling sewage onto the muddy streets.
“The councillors were not going to come and address us if we didn’t do this protest and voice our anger,” Mago said.
Many of the protesting residents have been waiting for new houses for over 30 years. Another informal settlement, Jim Se Bos, joined the protest, saying they have been living without electricity.
“I have been living here for 30 years and I don’t have any electricity. It’s frustrating and I have children who need to bath,” community leader Patricia Masizana said.
Masizana said the living conditions were extremely hard during winter. “I have children and when I light a candle I have a fear that something might happen to my house or my children,” she said.
What sparked the violence was the City’s project New Horizons Development, the largest integrated housing development scheme in the Western Cape.
Residents from Phumlani Village later clashed with New Horizons Development residents.
“I’ve stayed here since 1999 in a shack – do you think this is fair? I don’t think it’s fair. Our homes are leaking,” one resident said.
The protest then turned violent when residents clashed with each other and the police. Some residents threw stones at the officers, who retaliated with stun grenades.
Protester blockaded roads and burnt tyres and other debris.
By the afternoon, the police managed to disperse residents who backed away, saying they did not want to be shot.
Two people were arrested as a result of the violence.
“Two men aged 22 and 42 were arrested for public violence. They will appear in court today,” police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said.
The residents have a long list of complaints for their ward councillor to take to the council. Among them is a lack of adequate sewage and waste removal.
There is also a sanitation problem with an inadequate amount of toilets in the Phumlani informal settlement.
The toilets no longer flush and are blocked, with human waste spilling onto the ground.
“The City respects the right of residents to protest, but this should be done peacefully. We strongly condemn any violence, which will not be tolerated. We encourage the public to raise their grievances in a law-abiding manner,” councillor Eddie Andrews, mayoral committee member for Area South, said.
Subcouncil chairperson Shanen Rossouw promised to meet with relevant officials today and follow-up with residents.