This week's torrential rains have highlighted the plight of township residents who have been unable to secure RDP houses.
This week's torrential rains have highlighted the plight of township residents who have been unable to secure RDP houses.
They painted a painful picture of desperation after failing to get houses despite being on the housing beneficiary list.
Grocott's Mail reporters, Avuyile Mngxitama-Diko and Anele Mjekula, were struck by the harsh reality faced by thousands of people without decent homes in Grahamstown.
They spoke to Totosi Klaas, a frail-looking elderly woman desperately trying to keep the pouring rain out of her house. And they heard the sorrow in the voice of Mbuyeli Soxujwa, a helpless man is in desperate need of a safe warm house for him and his family.
Mbuyeli Soxujwa is currently renting a house at Eluxolweni township.
Soxujwa took Grocott's Mail on his daily pillar to post journey to show us how difficult it is to get a straight answer from the different municipal employees and councillors who are tasked with providing people with houses.
Soxujwa is one of many people who are still clinging onto the promise of owning his own RDP house.
He told Grocott's Mail that his name has been on the beneficiary list since 2012 adding that, his application had been approved but he had not received a house.
"I have been going up and down since 2012 and the councillor responsible for this area told me I will not get what I want," he said.
This statement from councillor Monwabisi Tame, according to Soxujwa came as a result of him approaching Council speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac for assistance.
According to Soxuja, Tame complained that he spoken to the speaker behind his back and said that Soxujwa woud not get what he wanted even he went to Bisho.
"I don't know if that meant that he will not help me again or not," Soxujwa said.
Sojuxwa lives with his partner and their four young children.
He said the house is flooding and the owner does not want to fix it.
"The worse thing is that we are victims of burglary here, every now and then there is a break-in."
Soxujwa said the most worrying aspect of his living conditions was that they could be evicted any time from the house.
"I am in arrears with the rent because I do not have a permanent job. They have sent me a court order that I must pay R2 100 within 14 days or I will be evicted," he said.
According to Soxujwa, "[Tame] told me that I must not make my problems his. I have been going to this man's house for a long time and get no directions, I am being sent from pillar to post."
Responding to questions about Soxujwa's problems, a frustrated Tame told Grocott's Mail that people were not patient enough, adding that it was impossible to allocate houses to everyone all at the same time.
Tame said there were about 2 000 houses that are being built in the area and all of these have to be allocated. "If he (Soxujwa) can't wait for the proper processes to take place he can continue to pick fights, which are not helping anyone," he said.
Tame said it was unfortunate that he was not able to meet with Soxujwa in the presence of Grocott's Mail to iron out these issues "because he is going to continue to spread lies".
An elderly woman who lives just metres away from the new Extension 10 housing project says she can no longer stand watching trucks of people moving into the new homes while she remains trapped in her meagre shack.
On Wednesday Grocott's Mail visited residents of Mnandi informal settlement.
Meanwhile the heartbreaking plight of granny Totosi Klaas, a pensioner nearing 80s who lives in Mnandi was blatantly evident when Grocott's Mail visited her humble home this week.
Klaas was busy moving buckets of water to contain the rain drops in her tiny shack.
Her bed was soaking wet and most of her furniture. "I am cold, there is water all over this place. Life is very hard for me, I don't know what to do," said Klaas.
She said on Tuesday night while it was raining she was very scared. "I was afraid last night when it was raining, the bed is wet; I am sick of this life now," she said.
During an interview with Grocott's Mail last year she said "I live like a prisoner in the area."
She said everyday she sees trucks carrying loads of furniture moving into the new Extension 10 houses but nothing happens for her.
Neighbour Nomalanga Mngcongo said they are being misled by Makana councillors who send them from pillar to post and giving them false hope.
"We live in this rain, last night we could not sleep because we had to move furniture around because there is water all over the place. These councillors are choosing who they want to give a house. They say they are going to build toilets now for us, I don't know if we are going to live inside those toilets," said Mngcongo.
Responding to questions about Klaas' plight Ward 2 councillor Nomhle Ngoqo said the old lady was not on her priority list as she was from Ward 13.
"She is on the list of ward 13 because she moved to Mnandi as a squatter, so she is not on our list at ward 2," said Ngoqo.
She said she understood Klaas' plight but all she could offer her was a damp-course to cover her shack.
"I did not know that her house is flooded, nobody has reported it yet. The other option is to take them to the halls and the people of Mnandi do not want to go to the halls," Ngoqo said.
Answering the question about houses she said the people of Mnandi were given a chance to choose whether to move to Mayfield or to stay in Mnandi. "Some of them chose to move to Ext 10 and others did not want to leave, I had a meeting before Easter in that area and I explained to them that having a yellow sticker does not mean you will get a house, it means your name is being screened by the department of Human Settlements for approval," said Ngoqo emphasising that she does communicate with her constituency.
Despite all the misery one of many people that were interviewed by Grocott's Mail during a previous visit shortly after the start of the Extension 10 housing project moved into his new home last month.
Phumzile Booi who had been living in Mnandi for the past 19 years said he was overjoyed when he finally moved into his own house. "It's a lot nicer here. I don't have to worry about the rain coming into the house. I love my new home," he said.
