Following several days of high drama, 47 shacks were “successfully” moved from Joe Slovo informal settlement to a vacant piece of land next to Zimasa Primary School.
The community has been on a knife’s edge since plans to move a group emerged (“Squatters not welcome”, City Vision 8 May).
According to the provincial authorities, the residents were in danger due to their proximity to a “vandalised high-risk Eskom Tower 37 electricity pylon”.
However, their relocation has encountered some resistance from nearby residents who say the site has been earmarked for the children’s recreational facility.
Despite the rejection, on Tuesday 13 May the City of Cape Town announced the “successful” removal and integration of the families into the site.
In a short media statement, the City stated that it had successfully completed the emergency relocation operation.
“The vulnerable residents understood the urgency of the situation and offered their cooperation, which led to them being safely moved to a vacant piece of City-owned land not far away from the Tower 37 site,” read the statement.
One of the beneficiaries, Nozuko Mpololo, said she has lived in the area for more than 15 years.
She stated she erected her shack under the tower because there was no space.
“At last, we are free now. I am very happy. Our children will be able to play free. It was worse when it was raining, our shacks were choking. Sometimes when the illegal connected electricity wires broke, they would fall on top of our shacks,” said Mpololo.
Although relieved, she stated she was concerned about the disgruntled residents who rejected the move, especially after the security guards have left.
Mpololo said she did not understand the reasons behind the protest as they lived under the most atrocious conditions.
In the midst of tensions, City
Vision visited the area last week for firsthand information.
A Joe Slovo resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed Ward 52 councillor Thembelani Nyamakazi for not supporting the community. He questioned his association with people who opposed their relocation to the site.
The resident described their blockage as a sign of a divided community. He accused some of their leaders of betraying them.
“This thing (the relocation) is creating a black-on-black violence (situation).
“There is a certain group of people who described themselves as parents of the children in
Zimasa Primary who don’t want us and they are trying by all means to stop us going there,” he said, adding that their councillor was among them.
He accused the councillor of betraying them.
“We see Nyamakazi talking in the media citing that he is not aware of our relocation.
“But, we ask ourselves if he doesn’t know about it, why is he siding with other people who are against us? Why is he not neutral? Instead he decided to choose sides,” he said.
Another resident blamed the protesting residents for using children to stop the project.
“Zimasa learners, including my child, were protesting against our relocation. My child told me that they were instructed by the teachers to go out and protest. She (the daughter) said she didn’t know what they were protesting for,” she said.
She stated that they are ready to relocate to the new area. She also lambasted Nyamakazi for making them a stepladder to become a leader.
“We voted for Nyamakazi to fight for us, not to be against us. Come local government elections we will show him,” she said, adding that she has lived under the electricity tower for 13 years.
Nyamakazi is adamant that he won’t interfere with something that he was not involved with from the beginning. He said the City officials didn’t inform him about the project.
“I’m not going to take responsibility for something that I was not informed about. The City officials undermined my office and did as they pleased.
“I still maintain that I don’t know what is going on there. I was not informed,” said Nyamakazi, adding that if there is anything that occurs to the people while they are there (new area), they must go and ask councillor Angus Mackenzie in Bonteheu-
wel and his friends.
When City Vision asked Nyamakazi if he spoke to the residents about the reloca-
tion and briefed them about the plans he said: “I can’t go and address people about something that I don’t have details about. I don’t know the time frame that they are going to stay there. I know nothing about it. If I go there, what am I going to say?” asked Nyamakazi.
