Shanties flooded on rainy days
THE RESIDENTS of Lethabo Park in Kimberley say that their shanties are flooded when it rains and that their pleas for intervention by the Sol Plaatje Municipality are falling on deaf ears.
Residents said they have been forced to remain in their flooded shanties and that their property is constantly damaged by the wet weather.
A resident in the area, Sheila Tshekoeng, said that her plight is ongoing and nothing is being done by the municipality to resolve the situation.
“We welcome the rain, however, every time it rains my shanty gets flooded. I have raised this matter with the municipal officials who did the surveying. I was moved from the front of the area to the back. When my shanty got flooded the first time, I requested to be moved back to my original spot. My previous shanty never got flooded and I never had to sleep in the cold, wet weather like I am forced to do now,” Tshekoeng said.
She added that she was denied the opportunity to move back.
“I had been pleading and asking to be moved back, but that never happened. We have also requested the municipality to throw gravel in the streets to stop the water from flooding our shanties. They have not done that and would rather we remain in this situation.”
Tshekoeng said that this problem has also affected her job.
“When my shanty gets flooded after the rain, I am unable to get to work as everything inside the shanty is soaked in water. My clothes and all my furniture get wet. I have to use buckets to carry out the water that puddles inside the shanty. I am unable to report to work as I would have nothing to wear and cannot leave my shanty in a flooded state.
“This is really depressing and nobody wants to live in such conditions. It is heartbreaking that the municipality does not recognise that this is not just merely a cry about water getting into your house, but that we suffer great losses when it happens,” Tshekoeng said.
Residents in the area were busy with mop-up work on New Year’s
Eve after their shanties were flooded during heavy rain.
Municipal spokesperson Sello Matsie said the occurrence is nothing out of the ordinary as the area still needs to be developed.
“This area is an informal settlement and is not yet equipped with stormwater drainage systems, which is the reason why some residents will suffer some flooding. People in that area are still awaiting development. The area still needs to be developed with roads, houses and stormwater drainage. The community must speak to their councillor about matters that might alleviate their plight in order for the councillor to bring that to the attention of the municipality,” said Matsie.