UPDATE: Road Five residents are aware that eviction is looming

Residents of the Road Five informal settlement, Brentwood Park, have started rebuilding their homes after the area was gutted by fire.

A threat of relocation, however, still hangs over their heads.

On June 3 a fire ripped through nearly 600 shacks that are built on privately owned property, leaving an estimated 700 people, mostly women and children, destitute.

According to a local food vendor and affected resident, Violet Mokwena, residents were living next to the side of the road or among the rubble for a week until they decided to salvage what they can to rebuild their homes.

“We didn’t want to be moved to the temporary shelter as our children attend school in the area and most of us work here. Moving would have resulted in extra transport costs,” said Violet.

“I lost all the pots and ingredients I use to run my food business. Thankfully my family in the Free State were able to help and I am now working as normal.”

She said that residents are aware that they are living on private property and that the court has ordered their eviction but they will stay until they are ordered to leave.

“I have been living here with my two children since 2001, as the previous owner charged us rent,” said Violet.

“Since the sale of the property in 2012 we have __been living in fear that we will be evicted.”

Community leader Tsidi Mokwena, a former City of Ekurhuleni employee, echoed the sentiments saying that before the fire, the metro supplied the settlement with running water and four portable toilets.

“We know that they can come at any moment and tell us that we have to move. We will go if we must. We do not want to be arrested,” said Tsidi.

“But we want to be moved to a place that has basic services or better than what we have now.”

She said that residents are grateful for the help they received. This included food from the CPF, donations from neighbouring residents and 10 tents from Gift of the Givers.

“We are appealing to the metro to assist us with building materials to rebuild our homes,” said Tsidi.

“We are using what was left after the fire but it is not safe or resistant to the cold.”

While residents are picking up the pieces of what remains, Tsidi now uses her knowledge to teach the children and local youths about fire safety.

“I am teaching them about the different types of fires and how to safely extinguish them,” she said.

ALSO READ: Women and children left destitute following fire

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