Struggles of Smartie Town families
While many South Africans are in high spirits during the festive season, life for more than 100 families living in wood and iron homes in the informal settlement of Smartie Town, in Welbedacht East in Chatsworth, remains the same. Despite their cries for
FAMILIES in Smartie Town in Welbedacht East live in cramped, one room shacks made from wood and iron.
They have no access to piped water, electricity and proper sanitation.
Despite these challenges 23 years into democracy, they continue to hold out hope that government will fulfil its promises of providing them with proper housing.
Mother of two, Pammy Govender, shares a wooden Wendy house with her partner, Clarence Subramoney, 33, a fisherman, and six-year-old twin daughters, Dinal and Danialle.
“Life is not easy. Our home is very small. During the day, it is our kitchen and living room and at night it becomes our bedroom,” said Govender.
“My partner and our daughters all sleep on a double mattress together.”
Govender, 29, who is unemployed, said she stopped working after she fell pregnant with her daughters.
“I worked in various jobs after I matriculated. When I was 25, I fell pregnant and my family and I moved in with my parents in Moorton.
“But there was not enough space for us and we left. We rented a one room outbuilding in Welbedacht East for R600 for a while but had to move out because we could not afford the rent.”
Govender said their lack of finance led them to Smartie Town.
“A relative gave me the Wendy house, which we erected on a vacant plot of land. We had nowhere else to go and no other choice.
“Our home does not have running water and electricity and we use a pit toilet to relieve ourselves. At night we keep a bucket inside our home, so we can urinate.”
Although Govender has tried to get a job, she has been unsuccessful because she lost her matric certificate, she said.
“I don’t have the money to get a new matric certificate. I rely on Clarence to support us.”
She continued: “I receive child support grant for both my children and whatever fish Clarence catches, he sells it. Sometimes in a week, he makes R50 and sometimes R600.”
Govender said they have been to their local councillor for help but are still awaiting feedback.
“These conditions are not good for our children. When it rains, our home gets flooded. We have a stream that runs through the informal settlement and it overflows posing many challenges.”
Her greatest fear, she said, was their home collapsing.
“Our home is on a bank and with the recent heavy rains, part of the bank washed away. “We are living in harsh conditions and I am afraid my home will collapse.”
Self-employed Rajen Pothiah, 41, shares a home with his wife, Petricia, 40, and 16-year-old son Trivolen.
To supplement his income, he goes house to house selling underwear and dishcloths.
“We were living in Phoenix but because the rental was too high, we moved to this area. We are not asking for much, just a proper home and sanitation. We need to live with dignity and government needs to help us.”
Mother of five, Nonhlanhla Makhoba has been living in her wood and iron home for seven years.
“We have no power, no water and no toilets. No one is helping us. We live near a dump and my children are constantly getting sick. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Makhoba, 30, who is unemployed, said she believed government had forgotten them.
“Every time we question officials about our living conditions, they say they are going to help but nothing happens. Nobody seems interested.”
Mildred Saliwa, 43, shares a home with her husband, Nelson Majola, 46, who makes burglar bars.
“We were renting a house in Welbedacht East and had to move out because we could not afford the rent. Living in these conditions is not good, but we have no other choice. During the recent rains, the back of our home was washed away and we don’t have money to fix it.”
Saliwa said the situation was getting out of hand and they needed government to intervene. The spokesperson for the Department of Human Settlements and Public Works, Mbulelo Baloyi, said the eThekwini Municipality was the developer of all housing projects in Welbedacht.
“Some of the original sites were not developable due to physical and topographical constraints and therefore the full yield of the original 5 200 sites could not be completed in this project. The municipality has therefore identified further infill portions of land within the area to complete the balance of work and also create extra sites in the area for other people, who have not benefited for housing as yet.”
Baloyi said further land portions would yield 800 sites.
“Planning processes such as sub-divisions, environmental impact assessments, preparation of town planning layouts, water use licence agreements and geo-technical investigation are underway.”
He said the project was in the planning stage and could be completed next year.
Construction work is expected to restart by mid-2019 for the 800 sites.