Uplifting her community despite various challenges
A resident have had various struggles in the past, but despite this she still tries her best to provide for her community at the Soul City informal settlement.
Clara Ntsepo (62) has been promised RDP houses, but for the time being she still lives at the Soul City Informal Settlement and try her best to uplift her community, despite the various obstacles.
“Why must we live like animals when we were promised houses with running water and other basic services?” — Clara Ntsepo (62) a Soul City informal settlement resident
During the NEWS’ visit she have shown proof that she is among those who were promised RDP houses, but has not heard anything from the municipality as to what is happening with her applications.
In the interim she helps her community by providing food, skills development and other opportunities such as paying children’s school fees and books through her registered non-profit organisation Sisonkwe Sewing Beads and Crafters.
- Clara Ntsepo (62) in her one room shack where she sews clothes and makes beads to help her community.
“I started it on property left to me by deceased boyfriend in 2009 and with six helpers since have helped many people in Soul City.”
But in June 2012 her building was set alight by alleged jealous community members.
“I lost four sewing machines and a lot of material worth thousands of rand. I was warned that if I rebuilt the structure it would be demolished and the Red Ants would be brought in.”
- What is left of the material Clara Ntsepo uses for her non-profit organisation after the structure from which it operated was demolished in June 2012.
She has written to Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela’s office and was told to get a lawyer.
“I don’t have the funds to fight this.”
Despite the struggles she says that she will continue with her project even if she has to use her one-room shack that serves both as a kitchen and a bedroom.
“Why must we live like animals when we were promised houses with running water and other basic services? Here we have to carry water cans to the taps – this is not what we voted for in the last elections.”
She explains that their problems have been escalated to Mogale City Local Municipality’s Executive Mayor Koketso Calvin Seerane but her pleas keep falling on deaf ears.
