Tearing apart a community
HOWELL Road Estate was once filled with the sounds of children’s laughter and neighbours sharing jokes, as they hung washing on the clothes line, but hardship and uncertainty is all that is left.
Many residents in the once active community now sit in their homes, with their partly packed bags, not knowing if they will be evicted next.
While they speak of their fears, families who have already been evicted walk past – longing for the comfort of their beds.
Since last August, 63 families have been forcefully evicted from their low-cost houses, allegedly over unpaid rent.
In response to their evictions, the residents protested in Sydenham – burning tyres and marching through surrounding areas.
The feud between the Red Ants, a private security company hired by the eThekwini Municipality to carry out evictions, and the protesters resulted in some residents packing their bags and fleeing.
Last month, those evicted shared their plight with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma – and earlier with the provincial and national departments of Human Settlements – but they told
last week that they felt defeated.
They say they were assured they could return to life as they once knew it but were instead, given empty promises. They nevertheless cling to hope.
“We’ve been having positive and healthy conversations with the national Department of Human Settlements since February and it seemed our people would be housed, but since then nothing has happened,” said the chairman of the residents’ committee, Popo Zungu, who was not affected by the recent evictions.
He said the uncertainty was taking a toll but, as a community, they would stand against injustice.
“Two years ago when my family and 31 others were evicted, the community erupted in anger until we were re-housed and now, two years later, we are trying to assist those who have been evicted.
“We called the national Department of Human Settlements and we received good feedback. The last we heard, the company that gave us these homes in 2002, First Metro, had decided to assist the department to find a solution. So we are hopeful residents will soon get back into their homes but the wait is taking a toll on everyone.”
Committee member Xolani Patrick Sikhakhane said families had been displaced since the evictions.
“Some moved in with neighbours. One family has nine children. Four of them are living with relatives and the rest were sent to another home. The husband and wife have nowhere to go and are staying in a one-room shack. It is heartbreaking to see how our people are living,” said Sikhakhane.
“People have to use their neighbours’ bathrooms and the living expenses are ridiculous. Instead of having five or six people to a home, a neighbour, out of goodwill, has to cater for 10 to 12.”
He continued: “I have two families living in my two-bedroom home. Other than my family of four, there are five others. One loaf of bread cannot fill all our stomachs and these guys (those sharing accommodation) feel so upset
Seven months. That is how long 63 affected families, from Howell Road Estate in Sydenham, have spent living with neighbours, on the streets or in informal dwellings. Life for these evicted families is difficult and making ends meet is worse. CHANELLE LUTCHMAN met with some of the evicted families.
that they are inconveniencing us and try to buy extra things for the home.
“Last month, when Ramaphosa and Dlamini Zuma came to Inanda, we spoke to them about our issue. He said it was not right but where is he? Nothing has changed,” Sikhakhane said.
The eThekwini head of Communications, Tozi Mthethwa, said Howell Road Estate issues were handled at national level.
A risk manager at First Metro Housing, Mphakanyiswa Stanley Gwala, said: “We had meetings with the national and provincial departments of Human Settlements as well as the city and it is yielding positive negotiations.
“From the outset we said Howell Road Estate was not an RDP home, it is a rental stock. We understand people cannot afford (the homes) because they are unemployed, but with the negotiations taking place, we believe even these people understand they will need to pay a rental because it is a rental stock, not an RDP home.”
The national Department of Human Settlements had not commented at the time of publication.