Farrarmere’s ‘forgotten’ community left to starve

Residents of the government village are desperate for a sustainable project to ensure they can feed their families.

March 1, 2024

Jani de Beer 3 minutes read

Thys with his brother, Freek, who works as a car guard to put food on the table.

It is just before 13:00 on a Wednesday.

The traffic flowing through Maalstroom Street, Farrarmere, steadily increases as parents drive to schools for collection time.

With tender and swollen feet, a Farrarmere Gardens Government Village resident carefully crosses the road to his neighbour’s house.

Jan (not his real name) and his family are one of 119 families who live in the village, which forms part of the Regularisation of Residential Properties (RETRO).

From 2002 to 2006, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements devolved the properties to historical occupants.

“Today was a good day because I was able to buy some bread,” Jan said.

“The uncle across the road works as a car guard, and I know he has not been getting many tips. His wife has dementia, and their daughter battles severe epilepsy. She needs food to take her medication. Hopefully, the bread will help.”

When he opens the gate to his home, delicate flowers greet you upon entering.

Jan and his wife returned to the village 18 months ago.

“I grew up here. My dad was the maintenance manager,” he said.

Despite sharing a border with Farrarmere and Northmead, Jan said the villagers feel like the “forgotten” members of a larger community.

“We work in and around Benoni. Some are car guards, while others have more stable jobs working as security guards, but it feels like we are completely invisible to our neighbours.

“The situation in the village is dire. Kids go to school with empty stomachs while elderly uncles stand in the sun to watch cars.

“They are doing this just to put food on the table because they use their Sassa pensions and grants to keep a roof over their heads.”

Welcoming the Benoni City Times into their home, Jan’s wife, Sara (not her real name,) says she is concerned about the health and well-being of their community.

“We share among each other if and when we have a little extra. But there are days when we barely have enough for ourselves,” Sara said.

“We see political parties walk the streets to put up campaign posters, and sometimes organisations come to fix potholes, but they never stop to look into the eyes of malnourished children or offer a loaf of bread. It feels like they cannot see the hunger etched on our faces.”

One of 119 houses which form part of the Farrarmere Gardens Government Village. Malnutrition, hunger and ill health are rife throughout the community, who say they feel forgotten and invisible.

Shooing flies from the wounds on his face, another resident, Freek, leads the publication to his home on the corner of Nicola Close.

“I woke up the other night in severe pain. I leapt out of bed in a panic when I realised a rat was biting my face while I was sleeping,” Freek said.

“It’s looking better now, but it was incredibly sore. I have not gone to the clinic because I do not have the time. If I miss one day of work, I might lose out on earning some money.”

The pensioner works as a car guard in Atlasville to supplement his government pension.

“Our rent is R2 000 monthly. My wife is deaf and mute, so I am the only one able to earn an extra income,” he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

“Groceries and food have become so expensive. Customers tell me daily about their struggles and the rising cost of living. It is tough.

“I often feel like the people living on the other side of the block do not realise that giving me R2 for watching their cars enables me to feed my dear wife.”

Pointing at her bare feet, Sara says that due to health issues, she is unable to work yet is too healthy to qualify for a disability grant.

“Like so many other residents, I am not lazy to work. We are not looking for hand-outs, but merely asking for a hand-up,” she said.

Nelia du Plessis recently stepped in to help those in need.

She said despite her best efforts to provide food for the community, sporadic donations will not make a sustainable difference in the villagers’ lives.