Demands for ‘insensitive’ Bhanga to go
Angry Motherwell residents want land to rebuild shacks after evictions
MOTHERWELL residents marched through Port Elizabeth’s city centre yesterday, calling for mayoral committee member Nqaba Bhanga’s head. They gave Nelson Mandela Bay’s political bosses seven days to allow them to rebuild their shacks on vacant land, saying they would make the city ungovernable otherwise.
The group of about 100 residents marched to the City Hall, where they handed over a list of demands, including land on which to erect their shacks after they were evicted for illegally occupying land in Motherwell and Wells Estate about three weeks ago.
They carried placards with the words “Nqaba must fall,” and “We want land”.
They accused Bhanga of being insensitive to the plight of those who had nowhere to go when their shacks were destroyed.
The municipality has maintained that there were no people living in the structures that were demolished and no belongings had been destroyed. Protest coordinator Patrick Ncinane said: “Bhanga is not fit for that position. We all heard him yesterday [Wednesday] and he does not care.”
Ncinane said Bhanga had shown that he was not a representative of the people. “We are taking our grievances straight to the mayor [Athol Trollip] because if we give them to Bhanga, they will end up in the dustbin.”
He accused Bhanga of using the 1913 Land Act to evict people from the land.
Ncinane said the group was fully aware
‘ If we give [our grievances] to Bhanga, they will end up in the bin
of the housing backlog and that they needed land to build shacks because it might take another 20 years for them to receive houses.
Sifiso Busakwe, 32, said he wanted to be given special consideration because he is disabled.
Msindisi Makeleni, one of the community group leaders, said: “We have been complaining about the housing list under the ANC. The DA promised us change but we are feeling the same frustration.”
The group’s demands include to be given unused land to build their shacks, to be registered on the city’s housing database, the material that was confiscated by the Sheriff of the Court, and that the charges be dropped against those who were arrested in the recent protests
The memorandum was handed over to the city’s rapid response task team coordinator, Zonile Ndoni, who works in Trollip’s office. He said it was meant to be received by speaker Jonathan Lawack’s office, but staff were away on business.
Mayoral spokesman Sibongile Dimbaza said: “We acknowledge the receipt of the memorandum.
“The mayor will give himself time to interrogate the issues raised and will give an appropriate response.”
LAND. It is arguably one of the most contentious issues in our national discourse.
It speaks to our identity and our painful history, and it stirs emotions.
Over the last two months, residents of Motherwell and Wells Estate have been fighting vigorously for a piece of land on which to erect their shacks.
After they were evicted for invading a pocket of land earmarked for housing development, they fought back.
They have protested, they have destroyed private and municipal vehicles, and they have vowed not to give up.
This week, they cried and pleaded with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s political head of human settlements, Nqaba Bhanga, to allow them to erect their shacks on either municipal or privately owned land while they awaited their turn for a house.
Yesterday, they marched to City Hall where they again appealed to the city’s leadership.
The municipality has maintained that there is no available land in Motherwell and Wells Estate. It says the spaces that are available have been earmarked for housing development for those higher up on the beneficiary list.
Also, there are plans to build a railway line to link Motherwell with Swartkops.
The city has taken a hard-nosed stance and refuses to give in to the demands.
Granted, the law is the law and the municipality must apply it consistently.
It should not allow itself to be bullied, and give in to illicit and unfeasible demands.
But it needs to show compassion. It cannot fold its arms and say there is no solution.
It cannot turn people away when it is their only hope.
These residents are crying out for land. And with vast amounts of empty pockets available around the city, the municipality must find alternate land to accommodate these families.
That is what a caring government would do.