Nearly a year after they were told to tear down their shacks to be moved into temporary structures while their RDP homes were built, a group of Fynbos residents now accuse their ward councillor of not only failing to provide the shelter, but of forcefully removing them from the area.
Last year residents from a shack settlement known as A Area accused ward 10 councillor Irene Brauns of foul play after she allegedly instructed them to tear down their shacks and move into temporary structures while their homes were to built on the land they currently occupy.
Many households heeded the call, leaving them in unsafe structures when the promises did not materialise.
The same residents are now accusing Brauns of removing their names from the RDP beneficiary list in favour of residents from B Area.
They say they were given a Friday deadline to remove their shacks before they were demolished by law enforcement. The angry residents said this was impossible as they had nowhere to go.
Around 300 residents are affected.
“Our shacks are in such a bad state. They are old and the wood is rotten. They may collapse when we try to move them,” resident Thaphelo Socwayi said.
“Another issues is that most of us here are unemployed so we don’t have money to hire trucks or bakkies to help us move or we'll be forced to move our furniture using wheelbarrows. We have told the councillor this several times but she refuses to listen. She doesn’t care about us at all.”
Another resident, Ayanda Sihonjwa, said when they told Brauns that they could not move as they had nowhere to go, they were told to rent the recently vacated shacks of B Area residents.
“I have never heard of such a thing, moving from one shack to another. We want the government to come and explain to us why we don’t qualify for houses and why we are meant to live in shacks our entire lives,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Brauns distanced herself from the claims, saying the law enforcement threats had been made by two former ward committee members in her absence.
She added that all qualifying residents would be moved into new temporary structures due to be built this year.
“I had nothing to do with that at all. As I have already told the residents, those who qualify for an RDP house will get temporary shelter. I have already made arrangements with the municipality and they told me there was money available for this,” Brauns said.
According to Brauns, the RDP housing project was running behind schedule and it was imperative the residents vacate the land so the contractor could begin.
“Those with rotten shacks obviously can’t move until their shelters are ready so I have told them to stay until they have somewhere to go,” she said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Residents hit out at councillor over shelter
Last year residents from a shack settlement known as A Area accused ward 10 councillor Irene Brauns of foul play after she allegedly instructed them to tear down their shacks and move into temporary structures while their homes were to built on the land they currently occupy.
Many households heeded the call, leaving them in unsafe structures when the promises did not materialise.
The same residents are now accusing Brauns of removing their names from the RDP beneficiary list in favour of residents from B Area.
They say they were given a Friday deadline to remove their shacks before they were demolished by law enforcement. The angry residents said this was impossible as they had nowhere to go.
Around 300 residents are affected.
“Our shacks are in such a bad state. They are old and the wood is rotten. They may collapse when we try to move them,” resident Thaphelo Socwayi said.
“Another issues is that most of us here are unemployed so we don’t have money to hire trucks or bakkies to help us move or we'll be forced to move our furniture using wheelbarrows. We have told the councillor this several times but she refuses to listen. She doesn’t care about us at all.”
Another resident, Ayanda Sihonjwa, said when they told Brauns that they could not move as they had nowhere to go, they were told to rent the recently vacated shacks of B Area residents.
“I have never heard of such a thing, moving from one shack to another. We want the government to come and explain to us why we don’t qualify for houses and why we are meant to live in shacks our entire lives,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Brauns distanced herself from the claims, saying the law enforcement threats had been made by two former ward committee members in her absence.
She added that all qualifying residents would be moved into new temporary structures due to be built this year.
“I had nothing to do with that at all. As I have already told the residents, those who qualify for an RDP house will get temporary shelter. I have already made arrangements with the municipality and they told me there was money available for this,” Brauns said.
According to Brauns, the RDP housing project was running behind schedule and it was imperative the residents vacate the land so the contractor could begin.
“Those with rotten shacks obviously can’t move until their shelters are ready so I have told them to stay until they have somewhere to go,” she said. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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