November 16, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
THE stench from the heaps of rubbish is choking and the two front loaders trying to clean up the refuse seem to be struggling with the task. Already, a large area has been cleared but hundreds of flies still buzz around makeshift toilets that dot the Kya Sands informal settlement.
Described as "shocking" by City officials during a mayoral road show of Region A, north of Johannesburg, Kya Sands informal settlement is one of the many challenges facing the region - and the city as a whole - in terms of eradicating informal settlements.
Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, accompanied by members of the mayoral committee and City councillors, on Wednesday, 15 November visited the settlement. He also viewed housing developments in Diepsloot and social development initiatives in Ivory Park and Midrand. At the Kya Sands informal settlement, Masondo acknowledged that there was still a lot to be done to provide decent accommodation for and basic services to people who need them the most.
"It is a disgrace to the City to see that some of our residents are living in such deplorable conditions. Even though the settlement is illegally erected, basic services like running water should be in place. It is clear that for a long time no attempt has been made to collect refuse but it is our duty to see that our people live in humane conditions."
Masondo had strong words for the Housing Department and the City's utilities, agencies and corporatised entities, saying a basic approach was needed to deal with the sprouting of informal settlements and called on the relevant departments to come up with a concrete strategy to resolve the issue.
"When an informal settlement sprouts up, it must be registered and all shacks must have a house number. But this is not happening."
The settlement has only one tap serving an undisclosed number of shacks. Residents use makeshift toilets and the Health Department in the region says it is building 180 toilets. Region A director Greg Daniels said 20 toilets had already been built.
"We have a problem of overcrowding and shacks are built close together such that there is no way that our water tank can get through. However, there are plans to extend services to this settlement."
Earlier, the mayoral delegation visited the Diepsloot Reception Area to view efforts by the region to upgrade the sewer and road networks. One particularly busy street is littered with dirt and sewerage runs freely down the road. Butcheries, food stall vendors and stores operate nearby, completely oblivious to the stench.
"Roads in this area are being damaged by burst sewer pipes and poorly laid manholes. The sewerage system is being overwhelmed by the large number of people and R10-million is required to upgrade the system," Daniels said.
In January this year the Juskei River, which cuts through Diepsloot, destroyed a number of shacks built within the floodline and about 400 families were affected. However, many shacks can still be seen erected almost in the river itself. Daniels said efforts were being made to move these families from dangerous ground. He said 50 families were removed from the floodline recently.
Snuggling close to the banks of the river is a makeshift crèche which houses over 50 children from the township. Masondo said the huge blue and white tent posed a danger to innocent children and should be removed as soon as possible.
There were positive developments in Diepsloot, Masondo noted when the delegation arrived at Northern Farm Hostel where homeless people from Lanseria had been resettled "until alternative accommodation" was found.
"There was an initial 195 families housed within the hostel and 85 of these families lived in tents just outside the hostel. We managed to build 132 Reconstruction and Development Programme houses for some of the families," Daniels said.
In Ivory Park, 16 June Drive fittingly resembles a war zone after a mortar attack. The bridge that links the township to Tembisa, in Ekurhuleni, has been destroyed and the road is full of pot holes.
Mayor Masondo opens a foot bridge in Ivory Park.
The managing director of the Johannesburg Roads Agency, Duduzile Maseko, pointed out that the bridge was on Ekurhuleni's side and that Ekurhuleni had come up with a plan to reconstruct the bridge. Johannesburg, for its part, would upgrade the road and storm water channels on its side.
At the Lord Khanyile Hall, Masondo visited the Ivory Park multi-purpose community centre, a one-stop service hub housing local, provincial and national government offices. The centre houses government communication and information services, the departments of home affairs, labour and social development, as well as community development workers. Officially launched by Gauteng MEC Brian Hlongwa in October, the centre was a success story, according to Daniels.
Kaalspruit, long a problem for children crossing the river during the rain season, would have five footbridges straddling it by the end of this financial year, Maseko said, adding that R1-million had been set aside to construct the bridges using women trained under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
One bridge is complete and the mayor, together with councillors for the area Petros Zitha and Joseph Mahlanga, officially opened the bridge to the public.
The highlight of the road show was the official opening of a beautiful park, the Ivory Park Regional Park, set to be "the envy of other townships", said Masondo. Initially an overgrown area where numerous rapes and crimes occurred, the park was developed at a cost of R5,75-million. It is the first park in Ivory Park.
Masondo also officially announced the naming and lighting of 1 126 streets. He said the names reflected the diversity and cultural heritage of all citizens of the city. The project of naming streets was completed in five months at a cost of R480 000.
"During the 2004-05 financial year City Power installed 105 new street light poles at a cost of R787 500 and during the 2005-06 financial year it installed over 270 new street light poles at a cost of R3,5-million."
Currently, City Power was installing 560 new street lights at a cost of R6,2-million. Installation of the street lights would be completed before the end of the financial year, Masondo added.
The mayor and his team also visited the Swazi Inn area where new ablution facilities had been built. He also had a chance to chat to vendors selling foodstuff at the busy business area. A few blocks from Swazi Inn, a Besafe Centre has been established. Masondo officially opened the centre amid jubilation from residents attending the occasion.
An urban eco-forest is a first in Ivory Park. Using a biosphere restoration approach in a low-income environment, the village would be "an urban forest" in a few years to come with the replacement of original plants. A natural water system ran through the village and a small wetland had been established, said Thabo Sibeko, an eco-trainer.
At the Midrand taxi rank, the mayor was briefed on a dispute between the taxi owners and the City about the use of the facility. Daniels said the first phase of the taxi rank was being "fully utilised"; the second phase was yet to be completed.
At the end of the road show, Masondo said a lot of work had been done in the region but some areas still had to be looked into. He said the City needed to "deepen and crystallise" its approach in terms of formalising informal settlements.
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