Nkomponi residents fed up still waiting for homes

“WE ARE the ones who should be living in those houses, not in these indescribably terrible structures. We have been forgotten,” said Bonisile Manyakala.

The senior resident of Nkomponi informal settlement in Mdantsane NU1 was pointing to his fibreglass “igloo” and comparing it to the RDP houses built for Velwano residents nearby.

The two communities have fought over who are the rightful owners of the land where about 400 RDP houses were meant to be built for Velwano informal settlements residents.

Nkomponi residents claim full ownership and say they have been waiting for RDP houses for 28 years.

The dispute led to about 20 of the 286 built houses being left unoccupied and then vandalised amid protests.

Ward councillor Gwebile Gosani blamed the municipality for failing to deal with the issue.

When the Dispatch visited the area there were about 30 fibreglass igloos that had been extended with shacks in Nkomponi.

The igloos were built as a men’s hostel during the 1970s for railway workers at a time when women were not allowed to enter.

Nobuntu Mfeketho, 57, has been living in the area since 1990 and has heard the promises of two regimes.

“The Ciskei government led by Oupa Gqozo moved us into these houses on a temporary basis after the two-roomed housing project not far from here was concluded. We were given title deeds and told they would build us houses,” she said.

“Since the democratic era, all councillors have kept promising new houses. When we saw that there was a project in Velwano, for the people of Velwano, it did not make sense to us.”

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the situation had been referred to the legal authorities.

“We are not aware of who the owners of the land are and we will not make any decisions until we get legal feedback on what is legitimate,” he said.

Ngwenya said records dating back from the previous government had not been considered during registration and allocation of the housing project.

“We are not disputing anything. We have simply forwarded the matter to our legal authorities for review,” he said.

Gosani said the metro had to come up with a solution to their suffering. —