EDITOR – According to the crime statistics for Southern Durban, the Bluff is the safest place to stay.
The stats are available from the SAPS.
However, we have continuous problems with non-residents from the outside ward area who have no respect for anyone other than themselves.
Maybe my slightly wrong assumption is that if one has self-respect, one will also translate it to a fellow resident.
I need to sketch the big picture, which the normal citizen may not envisage. The story of the Trojan horse is a well-known part of history. History, being the most well documented science, is in most cases not well applied and is most of the time overriden by people’s obsession to create personal fame. This fame normally does not last long as when the horse is in the stable, the damages are in most cases unretrievable – the Bluff’s case a decrease in safety and loss of property values.
The Trojan horse is the overpopulation of properties, slumlords and unauthorised residents such as squatters. The latter is unfortunately used for political point-scoring. If something is wrong in principal, it is of no use to paint it – no matter how one tries to justify it, politically or practically. The practical proposal is an area with the required infrastructure and health care as required by the Act, not a makeshift option which in most cases touches the dignity of the people and infringes on the right of others.
The Bluff community has in the last three months, made various complaints about non-compliance of the building by-laws, especially the erection of wooden structures for residential purposes. In short, the Metro bylaw in this regard requires a building plan (National Building Regulations Act 103 of 1977) and the consent of the direct neighbour before a building permit is issued.
There are a few of these all of a sudden emerging on various properties. This is the Trojan horse – increasing the residential count on a property has a negative effect on the value of the adjacent property. In some cases, the owner does not even reside on the property. Evasion of income tax is an offence by defrauding the Receiver of Revenue.
There are some of these cases pending prosecution.
Let us look at squatter camps as it falls into this Trojan picture. The squatter camp behind the DSW dump in Tara Road has caused problems throughout the years.
These include housing criminals and/or people with criminal intent, dealing in drugs and alcohol-related housebreaking, harassing shoppers at Bluff malls and assault, to name a few. Water and toilets were arranged some time ago to eradicate the health problem as the open pit toilets foul the water stream located nearby. Not knowing the history of the park in total, it is difficult to make the right decision. Thus consultation with local roleplayers will result in a suitable solution for all parties. Just for the record, I do not imply that all squatters are criminals, as I was accused of in a recent Facebook publication.
Supplying electricity to this place, as proposed by the ward 66 councillor, will enhance the problem by creating a magnet for more dwellers. From time to time, the Metro’s land invasion unit has to be called in to clear squatters from eco-sensitive areas such as beaches and parks. The most recent development is the bricking up of facilities at the Bluff Showgrounds – a direct result of squatters. A new camp has been reported to SAPS and the land invasion unit on Friday to remove a camp south of Brighton Beach.
CARL KNAUFF
Brighton Beach CPF chairman
RESPONSE FROM JP PRINSLOO – Ward 66 councillor (Bluff)
Power supply offers dignity, not threat of more shacks
EDITOR – At the beginning of February, I engaged with members of the 13 families of the informal settlement located behind the dump site on the Bluff.
The conversation was around initiating the process of an assessment for electrification of their houses.
Currently the residents are living in almost complete darkness, using paraffin lamps and candles which are detrimental to their health and creates a haven for criminals to hide. Furthermore, children living in the settlement find it difficult to study at night because of the lack of light. These factors and others are contributing to a lower standard of living and ultimately, a less dignified life for these residents.
They have been living here for years and deserve to have a small bit of dignity in their lives. We cannot blanket all poor areas as areas that foster crime and use this as a justification to deprive people of services.
We cannot also assume that all crime in the area comes from this settlement. If one engages with the beggars, street vendors, and informal car guards and so on around the Bluff malls, one will notice that many of them either do not come from the Bluff or are staying in houses rented out as slums. There are many good people in this informal settlement who are desperate for the basic service of electricity and are equally victims of crime. Surely as compassionate and caring South Africans we should be assisting all our citizens to live better lives?
Section 73 of the Municipal Systems Act stipulates the rights of every South African to basic services. Water, electricity and sanitation are some of these basic services. Additionally, the municipality has a programme for upgrading informal settlements:
“The upgrading of informal settlements is determined by the housing prioritisation model. This model looks at various criteria to determine which settlements will upgraded first. The criteria which are taken into account include walking distance to public transport, close to essential social facilities and nodes of high economic activity, and the presence of existing bulk infrastructure.
Certain settlements are located in areas which are unsuitable for development, like floodplains or areas of geological instability, among others. In this case, relocations are necessary.
Those informal settlements that are unlikely to be upgraded in the short term are provided with interim services including ablution blocks for water and sanitation services, standpipes for potable water, a basic road network and footpaths with associated storm water controls and electricity connections.”
It must be emphasised that this is only an assessment process.
The Human Settlements Department will do their analysis and check the legality and feasibility of electrifying the informal settlement. If the process is approved, the department will then need to engage with the electricity department to find or allocate money to install the infrastructure. This in itself could take more than a year.
The only solution that critics have offered is that these families must be moved and given houses. I agree that we need this informal settlement to be demolished and the families housed in proper houses. However, the fact remains that there is a more than 350,000 unit housing backlog in the city and these residents are not seen as a priority as per the city’s prioritisation model. This means it could be many, many years before the 13 families will ever have the dignity of owning their own home with proper, working services. One would think that in the process of national building, we would want to see a structured approach to improving people’s lives.
It is a misconception to think that providing electricity as a basic service would encourage more shacks. Each shack is numbered and documented and any new shacks are demolished so as to stop the growth of existing informal settlements. Each house is also given a numbered pole which only supplies electricity to that shack. If this was the case, the settlement would have mushroomed when the ablution facility was placed.
Residents, the CPF and the SAPS will note the ongoing efforts to remove illegal structures from the Bluff when they occur.
There will obviously be proper planning and all the legal matters will be considered by the Human Settlements Department, however, I think it is important that while these families wait to be relocated to permanent housing, we try and afford them a life with less suffering. After they have been relocated the existing shacks will be destroyed and the electricity and ablutions removed. The area will be restored to its original condition.
If you have any questions please, do not hesitate to contact me.
JP PRINSLOO
Ward 66 councillor (Bluff)
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