Tempers flare in flooded suburb
WHILE Greenpoint residents continued their mop-up operations after the heavy rains on Saturday afternoon, tempers flared between residents from different parts of the suburb yesterday.
Residents in Lemonwood Street and Marula Shanties continued yesterday to point fingers at their ward councillor for apparently not even visiting the area after the flooding.
“Since Saturday night we have been waiting for him to address us. Until now he hasn’t shown his face,” one of the residents said.
Meanwhile, a group of Thompson Shanties residents claimed that the councillor had been helping out since Saturday night.
“How can you say the councillor hasn’t been present? We all need rain. It feeds us. It is not the councillor’s fault that it rains. Nobody said you had to erect your shanty where you did,” an irate Thompson Shanties resident demanded to know from the residents of Lemonwood Street and Marula Shanties.
A verbal argument ensued with various residents all trying to get their point of view across to the media.
According to Dorothy Louw, whose mother was trapped in her shanty on Saturday night, the family has been struggling to clear the water out of their shanties.
“We are really struggling here. There is no food to eat as our food was destroyed by the rain. We can’t sleep at night because our bedding is still wet and we can’t take the chance to go and stay with relatives or friends as we are afraid that our possessions will be stolen,” Louw said.
Another resident, Emmerentia Bartholomew, said that besides action needed to be taken to prevent their shanties from continuously flooding, they are also in dire need of food. “We are hungry,” she said.
A wall that was built to contain the water running in the storm ditches has also started crumbling, leaving residents vulnerable during heavy rains.
Sol Plaatje municipal spokesperson Sello Matsie said yesterday that they were aware of the problem.
“We have rebuilt this wall in the past. We will go out again and reassess and possibly rebuild it,” said Matsie.
Residents have again threatened to blockade the roads and burn tyres if nothing is done about the situation.