Petition to stop BCM temporary housing project

A fresh stand-off between Buffalo City Metro and East Bank residents is brewing.

On Thursday, about 20 residents in East Bank, East London, who feel they have been overlooked in the allocation of RDP houses,  drew up a petition, demanding the city allocate “100% of the land” for ward 10 residents.

The metro is setting up temporary housing structures in East Bank for people waiting for RDP houses.

However, the East Bank residents, who previously illegally occupied RDP houses and physically fought with law enforcement during dramatic evictions in 2019, say the metro should first ensure that everyone in their area has been allocated a temporary housing structure before those from Duncan Village and other areas could be moved to ward 10.

The land to be used for the temporary housing structures has already been fenced. Construction workers were seen working on site when the Dispatch visited the area on Thursday.

Community leader Anton King said people who illegally invaded RDP houses in 2018 had vacated them in June 2020 after BCM agreed to build them temporary houses while they waited for RDP homes.

Some families were housed in a community hall since 2019, he said.

He told the Dispatch BCM was starting a 2,000-unit temporary housing structure.

“I am now waiting 22 years on the housing list, I have the blue card [proving he was registered for an RDP house] but BCM has just been fooling around with us again.”

Landile Makwenkwe, who chairs the ward 10 informal settlements committee, said there were nine informal settlements in the area with residents who have been on BCM's housing list.

“We have been attending all the IDP meetings. They know of our grievances but the municipality does not respond to people living in informal settlements.

“Our main problem is that the municipality does not consider us but outsiders are given houses in our area,” he said.

Resident Tembeka Mbiko said the housing debacle in the area  back to 2014.

“This is not a racial issue. We are coloured and black people here speaking in one voice. We are not against the municipality building houses. We just want residents of this ward to be considered for housing projects happening in their own community.”

In a virtual state of the city address in July, BCM mayor Xola Pakati said 8,338 RDP houses had been built and handed over to beneficiaries since 2016, with a further 1,100 expected to be handed over this financial year.

BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said one of the underlying causes for the housing crisis was the migration of families to urban areas.

“That’s why we have over 100 informal settlements. This is not a problem unique to BCM. We will continue to prioritise people that meet the set criteria as per our housing beneficiary list like those that have been staying in areas like Duncan Village for decades.”

DispatchLIVE