The municipality has warned people against erecting shacks amid rumours that a mysterious group in Hooggenoeg has set itself up as a gateway to people desperate for land to build a house.
The municipality has warned people against erecting shacks amid rumours that a mysterious group in Hooggenoeg has set itself up as a gateway to people desperate for land to build a house.
When Grocott's Mail went to the area north of Grahamstown, it was a hive of activity, as people busied themselves with building using mud, corrugated iron, wood or whatever else they could find.
More and more people are flocking to the area in search of land, and our reporter spoke to a man who said that he had to put his name on a waiting list before he could move to Hooggenoeg and build a shack there. It is understood that the area has a committee called Phola Park that claims to look out for the needs of the people in the area and allocates land.
When a person pointed out as one of the committee members was approached by Grocott's Mail, however, he said they didn't want to talk to the media.
And Makana's municipal spokesperson, Thandy Matebese, has warned that the people now building in Hooggenoeg are on shaky ground.
"It is unlawful for people to erect houses where they feel like. There are processes to be followed concerning housing issues," said Matebese. He advised people against building without official permission, saying the land might be reserved for development, or there may be underground pipes that they might cut or dig into.
"We understand their problem with housing issues, but they cannot just set up a house where they want."
The stories of Hooggenoeg's latest settlers are heart-breaking.
Bonisile Maqoko is unemployed and lives in a small shack in Hooggenoeg that he built last year, with a long trench near his house that catches rain and serves as his water supply. He used to work at a mine in Carletonville, but lost his job because of chest problems.
"My wife left me and my children because I lost my job and I am sick with this bad chest," he said. "My three other children found homes with my relatives and it's only my son that stays with me."
He used to live in the Mayfield area, he said, but the municipality told him to move from there since it was identified for a housing development.
“I then decided to build here. It’s better than not having a place to stay at all,” he said.
Another unemployed parent who lives near Maqoko, Zingiwe Phayi, also used to live in Mayfield. Because she had no other place to live, she said, she built a house from mud and corrugated iron in Hooggenoeg. She has three young children.
“It may not be where I want to stay with my children, but at least I do not have to struggle with the rent,” she told Grocott's Mail.
Sindiswa Douglas, another Hooggenoeg resident, complained that there are no adequate housing developments in Grahamstown.
“I would like the President to come down to Grahamstown to see that there are no developments,” she said. Douglas rents a small house for R300 a month that is a short distance from the one she is currently building. The house is shared by eight people and Douglas said it's difficult for her to keep up with the rent.
“The house is not even in good shape. It leaks when it rains and all my new furniture is now damaged,” she said.
The area is attracting many other new residents in need of homes. One such resident, John Marcus and his son, Thulani Klaas, heard that there were plots available in the Hooggenoeg area. Because he was desperate to provide his son with proper shelter, Marcus is contemplating a move there. They live in an incredibly small space attached to his mother's house, which appears to have once been an outside toilet, and Marcus survives on occasional jobs like gardening or house-painting.
It was clear from speaking to most of the new settlers that even the threat of eviction – and many had already been evicted from Mayfield – wouldn't deter them from their desperate quest to find shelter.
