BOIPATONG. – Red Ants are normally associated with violent evictions.
This time was different as they actually helped the Snake Park, Boipatong residents move to a more suitable residence as for years they had been living on a wetland. The relocation started on August 1 and lasted for four days. The spokesperson of the community, Dumsile Ngobo said about 250 residents had occupied the wetland for the past 14 years.
“We are all to be relocated to Tshepiso North, known as Phase 3, near Boxer Supermarket.”
The residents were made aware, however, that nothing in their lives was changing and that it was just a move from a wetland to dry land.
Engelina Jiba (63) said that most of their corrugated iron and poles were rusted and that the move was only going to cost them.
“This relocations mean nothing to us as it brings no changes to our lives but more costs come with it.”
Other members of the community said that it would have been better that the municipality left them at the wetland sites until their RDP houses were available. The community said that the Emfuleni Local Municipality MMC for Human settlement, Edwin Kele, has promised them that the new site was just temporary pending the allocations of RDP houses but did not say when these would become available.
