Around 45 families are living in 15 partly demolished RDP houses in Emaxhekwazini, in Joza, with up to three families, around 12 people, in each house. And all 180 or so share a single toilet, behind one of the houses.
The houses are scattered across roughly half a square kilometre of wasteland between the municipal housing department and Nompondo Street, in Joza.
Around 45 families are living in 15 partly demolished RDP houses in Emaxhekwazini, in Joza, with up to three families, around 12 people, in each house. And all 180 or so share a single toilet, behind one of the houses.
The houses are scattered across roughly half a square kilometre of wasteland between the municipal housing department and Nompondo Street, in Joza.
Children play in and around a pool of stagnant water. A pile of decaying rubbish nearby is a breeding ground for rats the size of cats, cockroaches and mosquitoes.
Disease is rife and residents blame the shockingly poor living conditions for everything ranging from outbreaks of sores to TB.
These houses were originally built to house the elderly, under the former Bantu Affairs Administration Board.
Then, in 2002, the Rhini housing department, as it was then, moved the old people to various homes for the aged, including Age in Action, in Extension 4 and Ethembeni Service Centre in Extension 7.
Those who were fit enough to look after themselves were moved to the RDP houses in Vukani. That was when the families started trickling in. Some were waiting for their own RDP houses and, when they moved out, other families would simply take their place.
To prevent this, whenever a family was moved to a better RDP house, municipal workers partly demolished the vacant property. This took place between 2002-2006 and left the houses in very poor condition – but it didn't stop people moving in.
Residents said the walls were badly cracked and leaked when it rained, leaving the houses damp and mouldy.
Resident Lindelwa Baliso said when the houses were partly demolished, the municipality had promised to move them to better RDP houses – but this hadn't been done.
"The municipality does not collect rubbish in this area, so we are forced to throw all our refuse near it," Baliso said.
Lindiwe Helesi was concerned about the children in the area, saying they played in and around the dirty water. "As a result, they have sores all over their bodies. People are also getting infections from sharing one toilet," Helesi said.
While some of the houses have toilets, their bathrooms have no doors and the toilets can't be flushed because there is no running water in the area. Nozuko Mamase is nursing her sister, who has been diagnosed with TB – caused, she says, by living in the unsanitary conditions in the house.
"I am here to clean the house for my sister. She had to leave suddenly because she is not well," said Mamase.
Makana Municipal spokesperson Thandy Matebese said the houses were to be demolished because the site was being rezoned for businesses.
He said the residents were occupying the houses illegitimately. He said each unit had its own toilet and rubbish was collected as per schedule, as was the case with all residents in the township.
