Bremer Street fire victims to be relocated
Currently, a court interdict against the city prevents them from relocating the residents until development has taken place, including the provision of water, sanitation and electricity supplies.
Residents whose shacks were destroyed in the Bremer Street informal settlement fire last week will be relocated to permanent stands in Andeon ext. 37.
Over 20 shacks in the Bremer Street “green container” settlement in Hercules were destroyed in a fire.
MMC of Housing Ofentse Madzebatela said the move is part of the city’s efforts to provide safe and stable housing for citizens and to respond to the growing need for housing solutions in the city.
Madzebatela explained that a court interdict against the city prevents it from relocating the residents until development has taken place, including the provision of water, sanitation and electricity supplies.
He said the current administration has been working to provide a permanent solution for the residents, but the legal restrictions prohibit the metro from acting until infrastructure has been completed.
Madzebatela stated that the city however is determined to find a solution to meet the residents’ needs.
He said the green container housing was always intended to be a temporary solution for the former residents of Schubart Park flats, who were moved in 2013.
But the population has grown significantly beyond the capacity of the containers, as people have illegally built additional shacks on the site.
“This has created serious safety and fire hazards, and the city is working to address this,” he said.
“The city must now appoint a service provider to develop the Andeon area, which has been identified as a suitable location for the residents’ relocation.”
Overcrowding at the current site is a contributing factor to problems that have arisen, and the new development will ensure a safe and sustainable living environment for the residents.
Madzebatela expressed concern over the increasing number of people invading the Bremer Street settlement.
He warned that people who erect shacks near the river banks put themselves at risk of flooding and stressed the need to crack down on land invasion, stating that the metro will not provide relief to those who engage in such illegal activities.
In the meantime, the social development department is providing support to those affected by the incident, including food, clothes, and blankets.
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