Decaying Red Location Museum ‘held ransom’ over housing standoff

FIVE years after it closed, the decaying Red Location Museum looks no closer to reopening, with a standoff between the municipality and a group of disgruntled residents heating up.

Red Location Development Committee chairman Paul Mbewana said residents had vowed that the museum, which won international architectural awards, would not open until the municipality committed to fixing defective homes in the area.

He said obstructing the scheduled reopening was residents’ way of getting the municipality’s attention as it was not paying enough attention to their grievances.

The museum was closed in October 2013 because of community protests over shoddily built Reconstruction and Development Plan (RDP) houses around it.

More than 200 homeowners subsequently agreed to have their defective homes demolished and rebuilt to meet the government’s standards for 40m² homes.

But Mbewana said these homeowners were in the minority and that the majority simply wanted their existing, bigger homes to be repaired.

“The municipality changed the scope of the rectification after their application was approved by province. Their contractors realised they wouldn’t make money by rectifying and chose a demolish-and-build model.

“Not even a third of people from Block 40 agreed to this. We have told them time and time again that we would never move into smaller houses after having lived in the 48m² homes.”

Nelson Mandela Bay human settlements political head Nqaba Bhanga said Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu had stopped rectification of RDP houses in South Africa.

“There’s no money allocated to rectify those houses, and this is the minister’s position – therefore we can’t change national government’s policy,” Bhanga said.

Bhanga said Sisulu had said that instead of building more houses, municipalities were busy rectifying shoddily built homes.

“Things that are on our mandate as a municipality are relocation, which is why we are relocating people in Block 40.”

The Red Location Museum has been plagued by vagrants and vandals, with the structure rapidly deteriorating.

Costs to repair the building were estimated at R12-million but repairs have not begun due to the impasse.

Red Location resident Mfundiso Ngxovu said the grievances of the residents were valid but he hoped the issues would be resolved soon as the museum provided an outlet for neighbourhood children.

“Children as young as 12 years old are drinking. Meanwhile there’s a library and a gallery in there which are sitting idle that could benefit the people,” Ngxovu said.

He said the museum did not only belong to the Red Location but also to the Bay, and could be available to be enjoyed by everyone, including tourists.

Sport, recreation, arts and culture portfolio head Siyasanga Sijadu said funds had been allocated to at least have the museum fenced off due to safety concerns for children, and to prevent further vandalism.

“We held a number of meetings with the community. The museum is being held ransom over housing issues that are yet to be resolved,” Sijadu said.