Francesca Villette
DIACHEAL May and her family will have to split up as they will not fit into one of the temporary houses being built at Sir Lowry’s Pass Village.
The 170 temporary zinc structures – built to move residents away from a canal that floods its banks during winter – measure only 6m by 4m, councillor for the area Johan Middleton said.
That is equivalent to the size of an average children’s jumping castle. The areas along the floodplain include Rasta Kamp, Uitkyk, Pinetown and Riemvasmaak.
May, 26, said there was no way her family of 10 would fit into the structure.
May lives with her 2-year-old child, parents, sister and her four children, and her uncle in a wooden structure in the village.
If the May family moves into one of the temporary houses, they will each have about 2.6m2 of living space.
This does not include space for furniture and the toilet.
“We are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If we don’t move, then we will continue to get soaked during winter. We have got so sick as a result of the water.
“But how will we all fit into those houses,” asked May.
May said when the time came for the move, she would let her parents and child live in the house.
“It’s unfair, but it’s the best thing to do. I will still see my child every day,” she said.
Alica Abrahams, 30, said she was tired of being moved from “backyard to backyard”.
She grew up in the village and said the city “was absurd” to make people move into the temporary houses.
“All I am asking for is to be given a decent house. I feel like I will only be moved into another shack,” Abrahams said. The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for human settlements, Tandeka Gqada, said the area was classified an Incremental Development Area (IDA) and the houses were built in such a way that formal development could take place.
She said the city had bought some land for the development of permanent houses.
“The approval processes can take up to three years before houses can be built on identified land,” Gqada said.
“People will be moved in accordance with their position on the housing database, and not necessarily on a first-come, first-served basis.
“The IDA was initiated under the city’s Emergency Housing Programme to assist flood-affected residents and people who have no formal access to basic services.”
Earlier this year a protest at Sir Lowry’s Pass Village turned violent as residents rejected the houses. Protesters blockaded the road that leads to the village by burning tyres and rubble. Riot police used rubber bullets, stun grenades and water cannon to disperse the protesters.
Some residents said no government houses had been built in the area since 1994.