Angry residents want houses

Protesters form Madelakufa informal settlement in Thembisa congregate outside the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality demanding housing which was allegedly promised by President Zuma. Picture: Chris Collingridge

Protesters form Madelakufa informal settlement in Thembisa congregate outside the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality demanding housing which was allegedly promised by President Zuma. Picture: Chris Collingridge

Published Oct 13, 2010

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Hundreds of residents from the Madelakufa squatter camp surrounded the Ekhuruleni Municipality's Tembisa Customer Care Centre to demand houses.

Armed police and Metro police officers gathered on the property to keep the peace as angry residents waved placards and flags, shouted out their complaints and demanded to be heard by council officials.

The residents handed over a memorandum of demands, insisting that 2 500 of Madelakufa's estimated 8 000 residents be immediately relocated to houses at nearby Strydom Land, referred to as “our promised land”.

Newman Mkhumalo has been waiting for a house since 1990, and currently lives in a two-roomed shack. He has eight children and five grandchildren.

“This is wrong. They have been selling our houses. I am 68 years old and can die at any time. I have been waiting for 20 years and might never see a house,” he said on Wednesday morning as he joined in the angry protests.

Toyi-toying residents chanted, sang and waved crude placards.

“Let the poor survive. What the hell is you councillors? You undermine our president” read the largest cardboard placard held at the forefront of the group.

Resident Jeannette Shingange said squatter camp residents were angry because they had been visited by President Jacob Zuma in June, and promised delivery of houses by this November.

“We went to Strydom Land and they are not ready,” she said.

Shingangane qualifies for a low cost house and has been registered and waiting for one since 1996.

“I have been waiting for 14 years now. It's too long,” she said.

The memorandum handed over to housing department officials called for the 2 473 Madelakufa residents who are officially registered for houses to be moved as soon as possible.

“Now the report says 470 are to be first allocated to phase one, we say no because we have been robbed of that kind of criteria,” stated the memorandum signed by Madelakufe chairman Robson Lugongolo.

His deputy Cyprian Malatji said they were promised by Ekhuruleni housing officials that they would be given a formal, written response tomorrow in which the plan for the way forward would be laid out and properly explained to them.

Satisfied with this response, residents withdrew from the area and returned home.

“This is what we want. To be involved in the process of the development of Madelakufa. Not to be fed false promises. But I can see we are still going to fight with these people,” he said.

Malatji said residents would wait for the official response to their demands by the Ekhuruleni authorities before taking further action. - The Star

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