MOM’S WAIT FOR A HOUSE FAR FROM OVER
The Cape Times’ Big Friday Read is a series of feature articles focusing on the forgotten issues that often disappear with the fast news cycles, and also where we feature the everyday heroes who go out of their way to change the lives of others in their communities. In the build up to the local government elections, we shine the light on service delivery and socio-economic issues across the province, including this edition.
WITZENBERG resident Alida Pfeiffer was pregnant with her daughter, who is now 18 years old, when she applied for housing in the municipality.
She and her family share a tworoom shack with her two children.
Now 38, Pfeiffer, is among scores of people, mostly farm workers, in the Prins Alfred Hamlet who have lost hope that their living conditions will change. It may still take years for her to get a house, after a recent project was illegally occupied.
Witzenberg is about an hour and a half outside of Cape Town.
Pfeiffer has never voted in her life and the upcoming local government elections on November 1 will not be any different for her. The Cape Times visited the community this week to hear about some of the issues confronting residents and whether they believe voting will change their circumstances for the better.
“Why do I have to vote? I have been on the housing waiting list for 18 years, look around, do you see any change? I moved here from Bella Vista many years ago and I have been on the waiting list for years,” she said.
ANC Leader in the Witzenberg Municipality, John Schuurman said: “We did not have a united waiting list for Witzenberg at the start of the new term of the current Council in 2016. Houses were still being built in the different towns like Tulbagh, Wolseley and Bella Vista according to the old waiting lists. After pressure from us, as opposition, to develop a unified list, the committee started to develop a united, integrated waiting list over the past two years.
“In Bella Vista there was a lot of conflict and the houses were occupied by illegal occupants. The impasse till today is not yet resolved, hence the current frustration from the community.”
Witzenberg deputy mayor, Karriem Adams said Witzenberg was not unique when it came to housing backlogs, which was a national issue.
The youth here is also losing hope as jobs have become scarce. Perlon Swartz's family moved from the Northern Cape, in hopes of a better life. But that has yet to happen. Swartz is now 20 and is already running out of options.
“I have been staying here all my life. So many of the youth living on these farms are unemployed. They stay
here but there is no work for them. I passed my matric with a Bachelor pass and I could not go to university. Finding a job is a struggle. The farms are very far from the City, where the job opportunities are,” he said.
His grandparents, Jan and Katriena Claasen, have worked and stayed on a local farm for over 30 years. They are “sick with worry” over murmurs that the farm owner wants to install a gateat the entrance to the farm, which can only be opened by the farmer.
Community activist group, the Witzenberg Justice Coalition (WJC) has since started collecting signatures for their petition to object to the installation of the gate.
Claasen said they were concerned about their children who work and go to school outside the farm.
“At 6pm the gate is closed. If the gate is closed, they can't get onto the farm. They have to phone the farmer to ask him to open the gate. Even if the family has an emergency, the police and the ambulance must wait until the farmer opens,” he said.
Naomi Betana, of the Witzenberg Justice Coalition (WJC) said political parties were aware of challenges faced by farmworkers and changes that needed to be made to improve their living conditions.
“Our biggest economy in Witzenberg comes from the agricultural sector,
at farms and factories, so it's odd when the political parties are very quiet in terms of how to redistribute wealth in Witzenberg.
“In terms of development of the community, there is no evidence. So when the residents go to vote on November 1, they need to be clear about who they vote for. There is no evidence of what the political parties can give to the residents, there is nothing they can show,” she said.
The municipality did not respond to questions by deadline.
Look out for our Big Friday Read next week focusing on issues including housing and unemployment in the Bitou municipality