Residents from Winterstrand informal settlement outside East London feel neglected because Buffalo City Metro have still not installed services in their area.
Resident Evelina Philisane, who has lived in the settlement for over 20 years, said despite promises made to them, they still had no electricity, toilets or adequate access to clean water.
“Only one shack has electricity here and that family has paid to get those lights, and because we do not have money that means we will never have electricity.
“The electricity poles run right through our village but those lines are not for us. We use paraffin stoves to prepare food or we just cook outside in the open fire,” said Philisane.
She said they sometimes went weeks without any water.
“There are only four water tanks catering for over 100 families, so of course the water gets finished quickly and then we have to wait for the truck to come back but that could take days, up to weeks even. “And there aren’t any fresh water streams here, unless you want to go through the forest which is not safe.”
Nomandithini Charlie said they did not have any toilets and were forced to use the bushes or the primary school toilets as ablutions. “During the day we are forced to use the bushes because we cannot disturb the children. Then, when school is out we sneak in,” she said. Charlie said the road to the settlement was in poor condition.
“Just recently a woman gave birth in her home because the ambulance only arrived two days after it was called. Getting to town is a struggle especially for the older people because of the distance they have to walk.”
Buffalo City spokesman Thandy Matebese said the informal settlement was situated on private land and as a result, permanent water services could not be provided to the shack-dwellers. Matebese said the metro had temporarily installed Jojo tanks, which were filled by water tankers on a weekly basis. —ziphon@dispatch.co.za
Winterstrand desperate for services
Resident Evelina Philisane, who has lived in the settlement for over 20 years, said despite promises made to them, they still had no electricity, toilets or adequate access to clean water.
“Only one shack has electricity here and that family has paid to get those lights, and because we do not have money that means we will never have electricity.
“The electricity poles run right through our village but those lines are not for us. We use paraffin stoves to prepare food or we just cook outside in the open fire,” said Philisane.
She said they sometimes went weeks without any water.
“There are only four water tanks catering for over 100 families, so of course the water gets finished quickly and then we have to wait for the truck to come back but that could take days, up to weeks even. “And there aren’t any fresh water streams here, unless you want to go through the forest which is not safe.”
Nomandithini Charlie said they did not have any toilets and were forced to use the bushes or the primary school toilets as ablutions. “During the day we are forced to use the bushes because we cannot disturb the children. Then, when school is out we sneak in,” she said. Charlie said the road to the settlement was in poor condition.
“Just recently a woman gave birth in her home because the ambulance only arrived two days after it was called. Getting to town is a struggle especially for the older people because of the distance they have to walk.”
Buffalo City spokesman Thandy Matebese said the informal settlement was situated on private land and as a result, permanent water services could not be provided to the shack-dwellers. Matebese said the metro had temporarily installed Jojo tanks, which were filled by water tankers on a weekly basis. —ziphon@dispatch.co.za
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