Ext. 11’s Baipei residents from ward 29 say they also deserve quality service delivery, just like any other South African citizen.
The residents took their concerns to the N12 on Friday, 18 October, when they burnt tyres in protest against the apparent lack of service delivery. These residents lamented many service delivery issues they face daily but stressed the absence of sewerage and water. They added that they had been promised stands for years. Now that they had eventually been allocated, the process was dragging on and they could not move to their land.
Since 2017, several residents had received SMSs but had not been able to move for various reasons.
According to Mathabiso Sekano, a ward committee member, they first received SMSs to say they had been allocated stands in Zakhele. On the day they were supposed to move, however, it was raining. As a result, the municipality asked them to wait until the rains stopped and promised to contact them, which they allegedly never did. According to these residents, people from other areas had since moved there.
In August or September last year, Boitumelo Matlhare (30) and some other residents of Ext. 11’s Baipei received SMSs to say they had been allocated stands in Promosa. However, when they arrived, the residents of Promosa were not happy. According to Boitumelo, that community also had Baipei residents who were waiting for stands. She found it quite understandable as Promosa’s Baipei residents had already been there for a long time. “How can we take their stands in Promosa when they don’t have any,” said Boitumelo. She and Ext. 11’s Baipei residents only found out about this when they had already packed up everything and dismantled their homes. When the representatives from housing and the council addressed them, they promised to come up with an alternative plan and cover the cost of the move. A year later, the residents are still waiting for stands. In the meantime, their community keeps on growing and they are building their houses closer and closer to each other.
After their protests in June, residents say the executive mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, said the residents from Ext 11’s Baipei could occupy the land in Zakhele after two months. They are still waiting.
“It’s only us (Ext. 11’s Baipei residents) who aren’t getting assisted. Why do we not get service delivery like everyone else? We are also citizens of South Africa and deserve the same service delivery as they receive,” said the frustrated Boitumelo.
In August(2019), several residents received another SMS to say they had been allocated stands. Mathabiso says she got a list of the recipients to put up.
Samuel Tokelo Thoo (63) received his SMS on 22 August. It said he had received a stand and he should go to the said location between 08:00 and 17:00 on 25 August to claim it. But, he says, no one was there and he couldn’t find the stand. About a week later, Mathabiso was told to remove the list as the process had been terminated. No explanation was offered. After the list had been removed, some members of the community became hostile towards her. She suspects that some had even tried to burn her house down.
Following the protests on 18 October, a representative from the municipality promised that the housing department would meet with the respective authorities on Monday (21 October) to discuss how they could assist the community members. According to Mathabiso, the meeting was then postponed to the afternoon of Tuesday, 29 October.
Willie Maphosa, the municipal spokesperson, confirms the concerns of Ext. 11’s Baipei residents. He says the municipality is working on alternative plans to ensure that the residents are properly settled on an identified piece of land.
With regards to the allocation in Promosa, he says some 50 people were allocated stands. However, informal settlement residents of Promosa protested and prevented this move, demanding that only Promosa inhabitants should resettle there,” he said.
The municipality, therefore, had to look for alternative land. When it did, it had already been invaded illegally. That is why the list had to be withdrawn.
With regards to water and sewerage, the spokesperson says “Infrastructure for the bulk reticulation of water and sewage can only be established where there has been resettlement, allocation of surveyed and properly laid out sites and legally-proclaimed residential areas”. He added that, given the “budgetary constraints”, the municipality could provide the basic infrastructure for water until the process has been finalised.
“Our housing department is in contact with the relevant people and will provide detailed information at the right time,” he assured.
