Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Illegal occupations, subsidy eligibility stall Watergang
FOR 17 years, they have been waiting in temporary houses, hoping to get decent and permanent accomodation.
Residents of a temporary relocation area in Watergang, Kayamandi in Stellenbosch were moved to the area after their shacks were destroyed in a 2005 fire.
Ayanda Ngubane, one of 350 people who moved, said they had been under the impression the move would be for a short time.
Ngubane said the houses had reached their life span and were no longer fit for human inhabitants.
“We thought we had moved from a disastrous place, but now we find ourselves in a worse area than our shacks as these houses don’t even have proper toilets,” said Ngubani.
Ngubane said if he had the option to move back, he would have gladly done so.
“We tried everything. We submitted countless documents, and there was promise after promise, but all we see is people getting RDP houses before us.
“The worse part is that some of these people are not even from the 2005 era.”
Ngubani pleaded with the Department of Human Settlement to intervene, as they had now lost all hope.
Ward 14 councillor Masomelele Danana said he was aware of the living conditions of people like Ngubane in Watergang, and they were trying their best to address the situation.
“I agree this area was meant for temporary houses. However, over the years, I have seen no change.
“As a new councillor in this area, I would have hoped that this issue would have been dealt with a long time ago,” said Danana.
He said the issue of Watergang had been discussed in the council, and there had already been plans approved to move some people, and they believed many people would benefit from this.
“My hope is for the people who have been here for a very long time, such as those from 2005, to benefit first from the development that is being planned. However, we can’t guarantee that because there’s an issue of people not qualifying for government subsidies, which has been one of the main factors that contributed to this matter.”
Danana said for those who do not qualify, the government must provide them with an area or plots on which to build their own homes.
Stellenbosch municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said the municipality built about 350 emergency houses, also known as Temporary Relocation Area 1 (TRA1) units, to accommodate fire victims.
He said the Watergang Housing Project consisted of different phases, and between 2008 and 2013, allocations were made to families living in TRA1 units who qualified for a government subsidy.
Many of the occupants still in the TRA1 structures did not meet the criteria to qualify for a housing subsidy.
“Between 2008 and 2013, a total of 186 families were moved out of the TRA units and into houses constructed as part of the Watergang Housing Project.
“While the council was moving new families into TRA1, many of the vacant units were illegally occupied.
“This unfortunately impacted negatively on the further allocation to other families,” said Grobbelaar.
He said the municipality tried its best to assist qualifying families to move into the TRA units in order for development to commence, but this process is time and again delayed or hampered due to the illegal occupation of TRA units.
“Currently, development rights are being obtained for an integrated housing project known as the Northern Extension, whereby housing challenges in Kayamandi would be addressed.