Hlalanikahle residents demand urgent intervention in their dire living conditions
The residents complain that there is water that constantly stems from the ground right inside some of their homes, even in the absence of rain.
Residents from the informal settlements in Hlalanikahle Phase 1 have lost their patience with the municipality’s delay in addressing the terrible living conditions they face, which continue to pose a threat to their lives.
The residents claim that the municipality moved them to the area after they requested to be allocated to a better place due to unbearable living conditions in the Mthimunye informal settlement.
However, they still feel as though they just dumped them there and forgot all about them, as all their cries and pleas for service delivery and surveys keep falling on deaf ears.
With over 30 households affected, the community complained that the new area has ushered them into yet another series of intolerable challenges that continue to pose serious threats to their lives.
“There are no proper roads, no toilets, and whenever we try to dig our own, water fills up the holes,” the residents said.
They said it becomes a total nightmare when it’s raining as the water fills up their homes, adding that for some residents, there is even water that constantly stems from the ground right inside their homes, even in the absence of rain.
The residents complained that they have been reporting the matter, claiming that the municipality is fully aware of their situation as they have been forwarding them pictures and videos illustrating their dire conditions, yet their situation remains the same.
“We just want to live in a decent environment, with dignity,” the residents said, emphasising on their urgent need for the municipality to come and survey the area and see its terrible state.
Clr Ntsweleng Tlapi, Ward One councillor, refused to comment on the matter. “You must speak with the office of the executive mayor because the matter has been reported several times. So, they are the ones who must be able to give a response,” he said.
WITBANK NEWS reached out to the municipality but there has been no response yet.
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