Urgent intervention required in Pikoko
“Extreme hardship, a sense of hopelessness and crime are rife in the sprawling informal settlement of Pikoko where the community lives in deplorable conditions and constant fear.”
In 2004, as part of the ANC’s temporary solution to urgent housing needs, 53 families were moved to Pikoko, situated in Ruimsig North, an affluent residential area on the eastern border of the Cradle of Humankind, from the Johannesburg Metro.
Currently there are 600 shacks in the informal settlement, and according to Jean Kotze, DA ward councillor for Ward 28, “The ANC has let the community live in squalor for 13 years, placing people on a proclaimed wetland.”
As a result of this, the DA has called for the urgent provision of adequate housing opportunities for the forgotten people of Pikoko.
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Kotze went on to say, “I have tried to assist with the process of relocating the community to areas where people would have access to decent housing opportunities, with little to no success. Extreme hardship, a sense of hopelessness and crime are rife in the sprawling informal settlement of Pikoko, where the community lives in deplorable conditions and constant fear. A dire situation of overpopulation is getting worse over time.
“The ANC’s inability to provide proper housing is a betrayal. No tangible programme of action has been provided by the local Housing Department of Mogale City, as should have been done by the ANC Gauteng Government, which should have funded the provision of formalised housing opportunities to alleviate this situation.
“Treating people with dignity, providing sustainable service delivery and doing so within tight time-frames is non-negotiable. The deprivation under which people are currently living is unforgivable.”
The News contacted the spokesperson for the ANC in Mogale City, Nkosana Zali, about the matter, and is awaiting comment.
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