Cape Town - For the residents of Barcelona informal settlement near Gugulethu, the glamorous side of Cape Town is not something they can identify with.
Their problems of housing and poor sanitation is what preoccupies them day and night.
They say that despite voting in every election since the dawn of democracy, their lives have not really changed for the better.
Nomhle Sam, 52,who runs a food business, is one of the residents to experience hardships in the city.
Having lived here for more than a decade, she says despite being on the housing waiting list since the ‘90s, she is yet to realise her dream of owning a home.
“I am actually beyond angry when it comes to this issue. My children were so young then, but now they are in their teens.
“We have waited for years now, and still no response. Instead we see progress in other communities, and it’s possible that these people haven’t even waited so many years like us, yet they already being attended to,” she said.
Owen Smith, 31, has been living in Barcelona for 13 years .”One thing I would say about it is that it’s still the same old place ever since my arrival. It’s not a comfortable environment at all, but we survive because we don’t have a choice.”
All Smith wishes for is a home with proper taps and a toilet, no matter how small it is.
Matilda Plaatijes , 58 who shares her home with four children, says: “To be honest, the city isn’t doing much for us. For someone who has spent a number of years in this place, I recall nothing done to improve our living conditions.”
Cape Argus