Residents of upper Zolani informal settlement are up in arms after discovering that they are not part of an RDP housing project that just started with its initial plans to build 140 houses for lower Zolani residents.
Residents of upper Zolani informal settlement are up in arms after discovering that they are not part of an RDP housing project that just started with its initial plans to build 140 houses for lower Zolani residents.
Zolani is an informal settlement divided into two sections (lower and upper) by a stream that joins the Cowie river.
Over 300 residents took to the streets and barricaded Lofting Avenue with burning tyres and rocks. The road is mainly used as one of the taxi routes linking residents commuting between Grahamstown East and West.
Speaking to Grocott's Mail amidst the chaos, community leader Thandeka Mdoko said they were demanding clarity as to why they have been left out of the project.
"We were all promised RDP houses. The mayor promised us in a meeting in June that we will all get houses".
After a long wait for Makana municipality officials, Head of Infrastructure and Technical Services, Thembinkosi Myalato and Head of Town Planners, Thembinkosi Sindani finally arrived in a company of a strong police contingent. Myalato who was repeatedly heckled by the crowd addressed the gathering trying to give answers.
"Upper Zolani is not a formalised area meaning that it is not ready for construction of houses and there are no funds yet to formalise the area," he said. Myalato's answer enraged the crowd even further and was met with more heckling and argumentative questions.
A woman from the crowd yelled out, "then why are there ward councillors for these informal areas, people who continue to receive fat salaries for being in charge of these 'informal areas'?".
Myalato said the Department of Human Settlements owes the municipality over R1-million in backlog funds. He promised the crowd that plans to formalise the area will start once the municipality had secured those funds.
"We have to hire people like land surveyors and planners who will inspect the land before it gets formalised and a lot of processes will have to follow," Myalato said.
The meeting came to a premature ending after the crowd became impatient and unruly. Zolani forms part of Ward 3 and is led by DA councillor Marcelle Booysen.
In a telephonic interview with Grocott's yesterday, Booysen said, " I don't understand why they formalised [only]one section of the area". Booysen said there was nothing much she could do and urged the residents of upper Zolani to wait until their area is formalised.
"This is an issue that has been happening even before my time," Booysen said. The crowd also accused the mayor Zamuxolo Peter of agreeing to meet with them and then later backtracking.
Myalato apologised for the mayor's absence and told the crowd that he was sick amidst claims by the crowd that the mayor was avoiding them. Myalato urged the crowd to meet him in 30 days time to discuss a way forward.
Grahamstown and Joza police were called in to maintain law and order during the violent protest. Head of the Grahamstown Crime Prevention Unit Lieutenant Colonel Funisile Phillip and acting Joza Police head Lieutenant Colonel Syed Cassim led their charges during the process.
