Relocated flood victims demand proper service delivery
The flood victims claim they have not received what was promised to them by the metro.
The Mamelodi flood victims that were relocated to Leeuwfontein Ext 27 claimed the Tshwane metro has dumped them in an area lacking in vital service delivery.
The flood victims from different squatter camps said they were all excited about the relocation last year because they were told they were moving to a safer place with electricity, water, and sanitation.
Dimakatso Motshana said every day is a struggle at Leeuwfontein.
She said the land was not properly prepared for the allocation, and everything they were promised was not there.
“We are struggling every day with water because we don’t know when they are going to deliver it,” said Motshana.
“We don’t have Jojo tanks as promised, meaning we wait for trucks every day with water buckets.”
She said if you miss the truck, you can wait for two days for the truck to deliver.
“We are staying in a dark area, and it is not safe at night,” Motshana added.
She said people have to walk long distances in the dark to get public transport. “It is not safe because we don’t have lights in the area.”
Another resident, Carlina Mashilo, said they don’t have enough mobile toilets in the area.
She said: “The toilets are far from our houses, and it is not safe to go to the toilet at night.
“Crime is very high in the area because it’s pitch black at night.”
Mashilo added that the chemical toilets were not properly cleaned and were being used by many people.
“Therefore, our health is at risk.”
EFF sub-region 5 convene leader, Bongani “King” Ramontja conducted an oversight visit on Monday, following numerous complaints from the relocated flood victims.
He said the Leeuwfontein land was expected to be well-developed for allocation.
“We are very disappointed to come here and find the area not in a good state, or rather not well prepared, to allocate to flood victims.
“Our people were misled and were told they were relocating to a place that was ready for service delivery, such as electricity, water, and sanitation.”
Ramontja said during the oversight visit that it became evident that “none of the things they promised to the flood victims were there.
“Tshwane metro relocated flood victims to an area where there is no transport and mobile toilets placed far from their houses,” he said.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said the allegations of water not being delivered are not true.
He said the truck delivers water seven days a week.
Bokaba said the metro was still in the process of acquiring stationery water tanks. In the meantime, residents are supplied with water through a mobile water tanker.
“The beneficiaries were relocated from Eerste Fabriek, Mamelodi Phase 1, Phomolong, Mamelodi Ext 17, and Pienaarspoort informal settlements to permanent stands in the newly approved Leeuwfontein Ext 27,” said Bokaba.
He said the area was declared a municipal transitional settlement in terms of Clauses 16 and 35 of the Town Planning Scheme, which allows for incremental development.
According to Mashigo, the beneficiaries are currently being provided with the following rudimentary services:
– 80 chemical toilets
– mobile water tanker that carries 10 000 litres
– 4 x refuse bags, which are collected once a week.
The chemical toilets are allocated in terms of the layout map of the area.
He added that the area will be provided with electricity in the 2025/26 financial year.
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