RESIDENTS occupying shanties in Kanana, Jerusalem and Jacksonville informal settlements near Lerato Park are threatening to stage another shutdown if they are not provided with electricity within the next seven working days.
“We are tired of dancing to their tune, we will shut down all roads leading into Barkly West, Lerato Park, Roodepan and Jacksonville, as from next week,” they warned yesterday.
A protest was staged outside the contractor’s offices in Lerato Park yesterday morning where they stated that they did not want a
R30 million refurbishment project to go ahead for the unfinished communal rental unit flats.
“The incomplete flats have been standing vacant for a number of years. They should rather use the funds to provide us with electricity and build us houses.”
A Kanana resident, Tracy-Lee Bosman, indicated that she had recently suffered severe burn wounds on her arm after the paraffin stove that she was cooking on exploded.
Lebogang Solomon added that he has been waiting for the past four years for his shanty in Jacksonville to be electrified.
“The power lines are there, my electricity just needs to be connected.”
A memorandum was handed over to the contractor yesterday, where community members demanded transparency and consultation with regards to the project.
Community member Jerry Tekisho said that although they would welcome a shopping mall that was rumoured to be built in Lerato Park, he wanted to know where the funds would be sourced and if funds for the construction of houses would be used for this purpose.
He stated that they attended a Ward 28 meeting on Sunday, where some community members were chased away.
“A meeting that should have taken place on August 13 did not take place and I mobilised the entire ward to attend the meeting on the weekend. The ANC deployee was supposed to attend the meeting but was not there. The ward councillor is not keeping the community up to date on service delivery. We want to know if this is still a presidential node project.”
The group of protesters also complained that since Premier Zamani Saul was inaugurated, he had never revisited the community.
“The councillor must step down, there must be a motion of no confidence in him. We do not want any councillor, we will represent ourselves.
There is no development here, not a single toilet has been built since his State of the Province address. We have once again been forgotten.”
Residents also demanded youth development and that a clinic and school to be built in the area.
“We have 13 shanty churches that need to allocated ervens.”
The ward councillor, Paul Kok, said that a community meeting called on Sunday was disrupted by a group of people, some of whom were not invited to attend the meeting.
“The chairperson of the spellum committee, councillor Makhamba, the electrical engineer, the chairperson of utility from the mayoral committee, councillor Gomba, ward 8 councillor Charles Ngoma and myself were present at the meeting. We wanted to update the community about the electricity in Kanana and Jerusalem. I was planning a separate meeting for Jacksonville.”
Kok said that due to the disruptions the meeting could not proceed.
“I was in the process of introducing the municipal officials to the community when the meeting was interrupted by persons with their own vested interests, who do not have the interests of the community at heart. This morning they decided to wake up and fight with the contractor who was commissioned to work on the communal rental units. They denied the rest of the community an opportunity to be informed about relevant plans for the electrification of the ward. I wanted to advise the community whether the plans were approved or rejected or if it was still a work-in-progress. Now nobody is none the wiser.”
Kok said the community meeting would have to be rescheduled to next week.
“My report that I wanted to give back to the community was very comprehensive regarding electrification and development in the area. I will also meet with the Premier’s Office regarding these issues on Thursday.”
He pointed out that he did not know why the ANC deployee had not attended the meeting.
Spokesperson for Sol Plaatje Municipality Sello Matsie stated that the municipality had not received any funds from the Department of Energy for the purpose of providing electricity in Kanana, Jerusalem or Jacksonville informal settlements.
“The project is being driven by the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta). The municipality has limited involvement in the matter,” said Matsie.
He indicated that the process of relocating 400 residents from the golf course to Lerato Park extension 6 was ongoing.
During a council meeting that was held in May, concern was raised regarding the safety of the people who may be exposed to hazards including the “illegal sewage off-flow and clay soil”. It was recommended that another geotechnical study be conducted on the area where residents would be relocated.
The walls of many of the houses have cracked due to the clay composition of the soil.
The spokesperson for the Department of Co-operative Governance, Lerato Khunou, stated that the current work being done in Lerato Park was for the completion of community residential units.
“The contractor on site is expected to complete 458 units, including bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.
Khunou pointed out that the land belongs to Sol Plaatje Municipality and she explained that the municipality would be responsible for the management of the CRU units, in line with the housing policies.
“The department will not make use of waiting lists. Potential tenants who are interested in the rental housing option must apply on the needs register at the municipality.”
Khunou added that the municipality was the relevant authority regarding the electrification of the site. “No electrification grant is allocated to the department.”
The spokesperson for the Premier’s Office, Bronwyn Thomas-Abrahams, referred media enquiries to Coghsta.