Tempers flare over housing and healthcare issues plaguing Eldorado

A community-based planning (CBP) meeting to address service delivery issues and give feedback on last year’s inputs was abruptly cut short because of divisions among the Freedom Park and Eldos residents.

The meeting, held by the speaker of the Joburg council Nobuhle Mthembu at the Don Matman Hall in Eldorado Park on November 9, engaged with the communities and the department addressed their top priorities.

The residents from Eldos’ wards 18 and 17 were frustrated because housing was not among the top three priorities despite it being a pressing concern.

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What worsened matters was that the Department of Community Development did not budget for Ward 18’s top priorities, which included a skills development centre and a multipurpose centre.

Another request was to upgrade the existing clinic and operate it 24 hours daily.

The department said the provincial government, not the municipality, is the competency of the 24-hour service.

The residents of the two wards began chanting, “Housing”, leading the speaker to break away from the intended meeting to allow them to voice their concerns.

Most wanted Freedom Park’s Ward 119 Clr Thobile Zondo to clarify the Southern Farm human settlement project because of the project’s appointment of a community liaison officer (CLO).

However, the Eldos residents felt sidelined, saying they also deserved a CLO representative from Elos and Kliptown.

Zondo said they only introduced the CLO because the project could not start without one. He clarified, saying the Southern Farms project benefits the Gauteng province, not just his ward, but the residents remained sceptical.

They demanded guarantees that their community would benefit from the project and not be marginalised.

They are frustrated with the ignored meetings, unaddressed housing and healthcare needs and alleged corruption in previous projects.

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Miles Bhudu, the Greater Eldorado Park United Civic Movement chairperson, said the community’s top prioritiesshould include housing, health and education.

He said housing is a critical issue, and backyard dwellers must get into proper housing. He stressed the importance of improving healthcare services and insurance.

Community activist Xam Keith Duarte echoed his sentiments, saying no RDP houses have been built in Eldorado Park since 1994. Backyard dwellers face challenges, and landlords struggle with electricity grid pressure, he added.

They need inclusive housing solutions.

He explained that they fought for the project through the Gauteng Housing Crises Committee and, as the residents of Eldos, Kliptown, Klipspruit West and Freedom Park, they want it to be a priority.

“Housing is a major issue in our community, and we are disappointed it is not being addressed,” said a resident.

Mthembu acknowledged the issue, citing a backlog of human settlement projects affecting the country, not only Johannesburg.

“The problem lies in communication. We need to listen to each other and allow officials to explain,” said Mthembu.

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The communication breakdowns between local government, provincial authorities and residents were identified as significant challenges.

Mthembu pledged to address this by engaging with the relevant stakeholders, including the MMC of Human Settlement (Mlungisi Mabaso).

Moving forward, plans include hosting ward-based CBP meetings.

“We want to ensure every ward has a platform to voice their concerns,” Mthembu said.

“Inviting the relevant stakeholders to give feedback and addressing communication breakdowns between local government and provincial authorities are also key priorities.

“Ward 119 residents will have a separate meeting to discuss their concerns. We don’t want to cheat them. They deserve a dedicated session to address their specific needs,” said Mthembu.

While the wards 17 and 18 residents are unhappy with the current priorities, those in Ward 119 are satisfied with two of their three top priorities.

Ward 17 Clr Dwain Ponsoby acknowledged the community’s frustration regarding unfulfilled promises.

“Housing is a pressing concern, particularly for backyard dwellers and displaced individuals. We need rapid land release and effective budgeting to address these issues because the government only builds 8 000 houses annually.”