‘Many human rights abuses in Masi’
HUMAN rights violations have been witnessed in Masiphumelele, South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) spokesperson Isaac Mangena said.
This comes after commission chairperson Lawrence Mushwana went on a weeklong visit to various townships in the province.
Areas of concern included Khayelitsha, a Malmesbury farm and Masiphumelele, with long-standing complaints about water and sanitation, Mangena said.
“In Masiphumelele in particular, the commission witnessed human rights abuses of concerning levels. We observed raw sewage flowing next to temporary shack dwellings where children and the elderly are exposed to extremely unhygienic and dangerous conditions.”
He said Mushwana has engaged with the Masiphumelele community and its leaders, and walked the area to see some of these violations for himself.
“The community was also forcefully removed by the authorities on many occasions, at times without valid court orders. There is a process that we are working on, engaging the City and the province to see how we can resolve some of these issues or even avoid them in future,” said Mangena.
Masiphumelele community leader Tshepo Moletsane said there was continual demolishing of shacks.
“Shacks were demolished without proper court orders or alternative dwellings or space provided. The SAHRC has listened to our pleas and we will look to the courts for intervention,” said Moletsane.
Provincial Department of Human Settlements spokesperson Muneera Allie said developing cities experienced an increasing growth of informal settlements as a result of urbanisation.
“In partnership with local authorities, the department is working on the development of an Informal Settlement Support Plan which aims to address this issue. The Upgrade of Informal Settlement Programme is designed to address this.
“However, the province currently has a backlog of over 500 000 households requiring assistance. In the 2014-2015 financial year, and with available resources, the department delivered over 18 000 housing opportunities, exceeding its delivery target.”
The department was committed to finding innovative ways of increasing the number of housing opportunities, she said.
dominic.adriaanse@inl.co.za