#KaNyamazaneProtests: Four weeks to go until roofs are fixed
KaNyamazane is now quiet as Mpumalanga's premier, Refilwe Mtsweni, says houses will be fixed in three to four weeks.
KANYAMAZANE – Mpumalanga’s premier, Refilwe Mtsweni, has urged contractors to complete the repairs of the community’s storm-damaged houses in “three to four” weeks.
This after the protests that lasted more than a week came to an end.
The statement, released by the Department of Human Settlements yesterday, said Mtsweni had several engagements with the community and visited a few homes this week to assess progress on-site.
“It is quite pleasing that we are seeing actual work taking place this week and I am urging the contractors to complete the said work within three to four weeks,” she emphasised.
Spokesman for the premier, Zibonele Mncwango, confirmed Mtsweni’s visits to the community. “One of the issues was the fact that there was not enough contractors, but she already instructed the Department of Human Settlements to appoint more contractors.”
READ ALSO: KaNyamazane protests: The aftermath
In a previous statement, human settlements’ spokesman Freddy Ngobe said 200 of the 2 130 affected houses have already been fixed.
“Damages to the homes vary, therefore costs allocated to each house will equally differ. Simply put, each house will be treated on merit, and work done gets verified by the project manager, thus enabling processing of payment due,” Ngobe said.
Oupa Pilane, president of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism, disagreed.
“We heard it was costing more than R80 000 to fix one house. Some of our members sell materials to fix homes and we know it does not cost this much,” Pilane said.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: KaNyamazane protests enter second week
He said they met yesterday with the Alliance of Chambers and it was decided that they must invest in a meeting with the premier and offer their services to make sure that money is spent correctly.
He said the protests in KaNyamazane did not necessarily affect tourism, but that they had a major impact on the business sector.
“Workers have to travel up to eight kilometres to find transport to go to work. There have not been any businesses operating in KaNyamazane for the past 12 days. This loss of income becomes a serious challenge for us as the KLCBT.”
Moeti Mmusi, spokesman for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, said public transport is operating as normal and no violence has been reported.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Police disperse protesters with rubber bullets
