Poverty stricken families to be rescued
Daggakraal home of one of the founders of the African National Congress, the late Dr Pixely ka Isaka Seme whose grave and memorial statue stands prominently in this village.
Poor families facing abject poverty in the rural village of Daggakraal near Volkrust will soon find relief following MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Gabsile Shabalala’s Safety Imbizo on Saturday.
A family of four who live in a very worn out RDP house with visible holes all over the once corrugated iron sheeting all over the house was visited by the MEC.
The one window in existence, no longer has any window panes, but is covered by iron sheets thus the interior of the house is very dark.
At the foot of the bedroom, which was once the living room, has two caved in beds and near the window lies a brazier where they make fire to cook and warm themselves – as the brazier burns, it feels the whole house with smoke which affected the iron roof sheets to their current state of dilapidation.
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A shocked Shabalala inquired to see where they kept their food, it’s an empty small rusty cupboard with no food at all. The walls are cracked and the iron door, which is the only point of entry into the house, is dilapidated itself depicting that there’s no security at all.
“I am appalled at this situation. I thought I was bringing food parcels to relieve them of hunger, but the situation here calls for a complete overhaul of this house. No temporary measures can be applied here.
Where will they place the very food we’ve bought along? No where. Have they even eaten this morning? I doubt so much even though they claim to have eaten.”
“Councilors, you cannot leave communities to suffer like this under your watch. I’m personally taking up this matter and of the other poverty stricken families to the relevant departments for emergency attention,” she promised.
Later at the imbizo, where various concerns were raised by the community of water shortages and crime related problems, she noted their problems and left them with the hope of addressing them.
As she and her entourage which also included the provincial police commissioner, Lt.General Mondli Zuma, the anticipated rain started gathering dark clouds, promising a heavy storm.
