Joza residents are becoming increasingly frustrated after numerous attempts to get the municipality to assess damage caused to their property by last year’s storms have failed.
Joza residents are becoming increasingly frustrated after numerous attempts to get the municipality to assess damage caused to their property by last year’s storms have failed.
Joza resident, Kholeka Klaas said that despite informing the municipality that the roof of her toilet had been blown away during a storm in October 2009, no officials have come to her home to investigate as was promised by the municipality.
Klaas said that following the storm she immediately reported the matter to the engineering department which referred her to the fire department where an official told her that they would later visit her house in Joza. “Contrary to promises nobody from the municipality has come to assess the damage,” explained Klaas.
“When nature calls we sometimes ask our neighbours for help because we fear that the walls will come down on us.” Nzimeni Makhasi, who lives next door to Klaas, says his toilet is in an even worse condition than Klaas’s.
“When it rains we are forced to carry an umbrella in the toilet,” he said. Makana Municipality spokesperson Thandy Matebese said the municipality is unsure of how to handle the situation as the incident has not been declared a disaster.
“We advise people to insure their houses against such inclement weathers, but in this case officials don’t know what the municipality can do,” he said. He added that due to the nature of the damage the engineering department “does not keep records about such things”.
The toilets were built in 2007 as part of the municipality’s bucket eradication project and could not withstand the strong winds.
