Residents demand housing and essential services

South Africans are preparing to cast their votes on May 29 and people who live in informal settlements shared their opinions on this very important election.

The Roodepoort Record visited the Princess informal settlement and spoke to residents to find out what their expectations were, which is quite clear.

“I want to see change in my community and I hope the political party that I am going to vote for will bring it. Unemployment is a big problem and we are sitting at home with our qualifications because getting a job is hard,” Godimang Kgatitswe said.

Residents also expressed that there is no proper infrastructure and sanitation, and electricity cables are not properly secured and could harm their children.

“I would like the party that I am going to vote for to assist us in terms of housing. We are living in crowded shacks that are not safe and have no foundation and there are some parts of Princess with no electricity,” Kedidimetse Chonkane said.

Kananelo Mokoena raised concerns about the lack of electricity in her community. She added that she would like the new party that will be in power to fix the electricity issues and to ensure the safety of their children because it is not safe for them to play in the street while there are exposed cables in the open.

Mpho Molefi said he is mostly worried about unemployment and children having educational qualifications but they are not getting any work.

“They eventually resort to drugs because they have nothing better to do. Load-shedding also affects us badly because we live in shacks and can’t afford generators or inverters,” he concluded.

Essentially, the residents want their elected political parties to prioritise housing improvements, essential services, and overall socio-economic development to uplift their living standards and provide a better future for their families.