Egoli residents demand promised homes

EGOLI residents who live in prefabricated structures and shacks want the department of human settlements to deliver on its promise to provide them with safe RDP houses.

Yesterday more than 60 residents who have been living in government sponsored prefabs or shacks gathered on De Silver Road with an official from premier Phumulo Masualle’s office in a bid to resolve the delayed housing issue.

Some of the residents have lived in old prefabs for more than three years while others were moved there six months ago.

They fear that the promise of RDP houses might not materialise.

They claim their efforts to get an audience with officials at the department of human settlements have fallen on deaf ears.

Community liaison officer (CLO) Peter van Sens, 56, said the department was excluding certain individuals although funds had been allocated for the construction of 382 houses.

Sens said residents were unhappy with the pace at which the construction project was going.

“It is unfair what is going on here because people are living in temporary structures.

“Other people received their houses in the first two phases now these people who live here [in the temporary structures] might not even get new houses after money had already been allocated,” he said.

Van Sens said they had been promised that in the current financial year, the area would receive the remaining houses, but no development had taken place since.

Enraged community members voiced their concerns claiming that children were constantly falling ill due to the conditions they were living under.

One of their concerns was that more than 20 families had to use one toilet.

Jimmy Anderson, 57, who has lived in the area for about 20 years and is wheelchair-bound, said he was among those waiting for new houses.

“I can’t stand living like this anymore because things get really bad sometimes. I want my house to be built, end of story,” Anderson said.

The premier’s representative, Mziwamadoda Sotshana, said it was his second visit to the community and he had noted their grievances.

“The office had received their community’s complaints and at this stage we will look at how we can assist in resolving the matter going forward.

“We will respond to their complaints after 14 working days and then offer them feedback,” Sotshana said.

At the time of writing, human settlements spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha had not responded to questions. —