Ginger Park raid follows MEC pressure, but Ramokgopa warns city against PR stunts
After meeting with residents demanding action, MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, from RISE Mzansi, got the city to raid the informal settlements popping up in Fourways, while pushing for sustainable solutions to Johannesburg’s housing crisis.
A recent law enforcement operation, at the Ginger Park informal settlement in Paulshof, has been traced back to pressure from Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, following a community engagement.
On July 16, Ramokgopa met with Lonehill residents at Soil to Soul Nursery in Lonehill, who have long called for action against the growing number of informal settlements in the area. The residents were hoping this wasn’t just another meeting, especially since they’d had them before, with various leaders, for years with little to no results.
Among the issues raised by residents were safety concerns, by-law violations, and the absence of consistent operations by law enforcement agencies.
Also read: Ginger Park residents confront councillor
During the meeting, the deputy headmaster at St Peter’s School, Vijay Maharaj, said: “We feel that law enforcement agencies and authorities should do what is necessary. We are being reactive at the moment, instead of being proactive, as a result of work that’s not being done by the authorities.”
In response, Ramokgopa pledged to escalate their concerns to the relevant city and provincial authorities. Less than two weeks later, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero led a multidisciplinary operation at Ginger Park, alongside the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), the South African Police Service (SAPS), and officials from the Department of Home Affairs, amongst others.
Also read: City cracks down on illegal informal settlements in Fourways
While the operation was welcomed as a step in the right direction, Ramokgopa cautioned that enforcement alone would not address the root causes of informal settlement growth in Fourways. “The situation at Ginger Park requires more than a once-off public relations stunt. It needs a long-term plan with the involvement of the city’s Human Settlements, Development Planning, and Social Development departments, to uphold the dignity and rights of people, including women and children, who cannot afford to build housing of their own.”
She confirmed that the recent raid was a direct result of the concerns raised by residents in their meeting with her. “The City of Johannesburg has a housing backlog of approximately 400 000 units, and a budget that will never meet the growing demand. It is therefore vital that the city reimagine social and low-cost housing, that takes into account spatial planning and justice.”
Also read: MEC Ramokgopa meets Lonehill residents over Clay Oven and Ginger Park informal settlements
Ramokgopa also called for political accountability from city leadership. “The City of Johannesburg needs leaders who are always responsive to the needs of all residents, not mayors and MMCs who only pop up once in a while to sell pipe dreams to residents.”
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