Shame on state

THE lack of basic amenities such as access to water, sanitation, hospitals, schools and other emergency services may have been inherited from the apartheid era, but the poor conditions of people living in shacks is an indictment on the state for its slow service delivery.

This is more stark when stories of shack fires that can kill many family members continue to dominate headlines.

Every winter hundreds of people perish due to shack fires because they cannot access services needed to put out those fires.

Six members of the Mogale family of Deelpan perished in a fire this past weekend. The nearest fire station is 70km away. The Mogales represent many living in shacks who in time of emergencies have to wait hours for help.

In many instances help only arrives after people have died, which is simply unacceptable.