Losing faith in government’s promises
LOUIS Chetty has been sharing a wood and iron home with 13 relatives for about six years and says he has lost faith in the government’s promises for a better life.
Chetty, 48, runs a taxi and a tuck shop from his home to supplement an income.
“I was renting a home in Phoenix but the rental had become too high and financially things started to get tough.
“My family, which includes my wife, children, their spouses and my grandchildren then relocated to Riet River where we opened a shop and I run a taxi. It has not been easy for us,” he admits.
“When it rains, our home is flooded with water. We have to place drums all over for the water to be collected. We have to put heavy materials, like tyres, on our roofs, so the roof does not fly off when it is windy.
“The rain floods our roads and I am unable to run my taxi because the road is muddy, slippery and wet. This means a day’s business is lost.”
Despite these challenges Chetty said he was better off than most people in the community.
“Other residents don’t have electricity, water or proper sanitation. They are using pit toilets and have to walk 15 minutes for the nearest tap. I fought with the municipality for the services we have.”
Chetty said on many occasions councillors and political parties visited to address their concerns but nothing was done to help them.
“Councillors have told us that they are looking at relocating us to Cornubia (an integrated housing project) but nothing has been done.
“We have 64 families living in the community and most of them are unemployed. Poverty is so rife. Many people don’t even know where their next meal is coming from.”
He says they are tired of empty promises and need some sort of intervention. “We need proper housing, not homes made of iron and wood.”