A 23-year-old domestic worker has seen six ward councillors come and go and is still living in an unstable one-room shack in ward 20.
Her story is one of empty promises, desolation, vulnerability, unbearable living conditions, an unsafe environment and the daily struggles of life. Mpho Matshediso stays with her cousin Lerato Matshidiso, a final year management assistant student at Vuselela FET College. Despite their subsidy for an RDP house being approved many years ago, they say they have never received any more assistance from the municipality and no one seems to be budging. The endless promises started a long time ago. Her parents received the same treatment from the municipality. Their big dream of owning a proper dwelling for their family was never fulfilled. Her father passed away in 2010 and her mother followed in 2011. ‘Our family moved into the shack in 1993 and since then it has been an unending struggle to get the municipality to assist us’, she says. ‘Maybe they want these corrugated iron sheets to fall on top of us and kill one us before they spring into action.’
Unbearable living conditions
The emotional woman talks about what it is like to live in a shack. During last week’s floods, they had to ask their neighbours for a place to sleep. ‘The following day, there was water everywhere; on the bed, and my cousin’s textbooks were ruined,’ she says.
Lerato says, ‘when it rains, we put buckets out. When they are full to the brim we have to empty them out through the windows because it is unsafe to go outside’.
In addition, their shack was burgled last December and they just do not feel safe. ‘One morning, we woke up and found the corrugated iron wall wide open. We are only women staying here; we are afraid something bad might happen to us,’ says Mpho.
Six ward councillors and nothing to show
Mpho says six ward councillors have served in their ward but they all completed their terms without changing the lives of the family for the better. ‘Only Stone Mahlabe ever tried to assist us. During election campaigns, they ask us to vote for them but, when they have to deliver, they fail us,’ says Mpho. ‘If I had a better, full-time job I would build myself a house but the salary of a domestic worker is not enough,’ she says.
Do not punish the community because you hate me
Stone Mahlabe, one of the former ward councillors, says he can attest to their predicament. ‘I have gone with Mpho to seek help. I’m shocked that they have never made the cut. The ruling party is punishing these people because of its differences with me. The municipality must assist the community and deliver services,’ he says.
Response from the council spokesperson
Willie Maphosa, the council spokesperson says Ext. 6 is one of the projects that were blocked due to dolomite.
‘After the dolomite investigation was done, engagement started with the province to get the projects unblocked. The province has indicated that they are busy doing an audit of all blocked projects in the province and that these projects will be treated separately and comprehensively as instructed by the National Department of Human Settlements,’ he said.
Maphosa says the municipality is hoping to get an answer from the province shortly, or, at least, an indication of how far the matter is. ‘They will come back to us with feedback on the projects that have been approved in their business plan.’