CAPE TOWN – Shack dwellers from Phola Park in Mfuleni are threatening to make the area ungovernable if the City does not address their grievances.
Residents allegedly barricaded School Street with burning tyres and torched a Golden Arrow Bus Service bus on Friday morning, demanding that the City remove Red Ants security guards from the area.
They claim the Red Ants were initially deployed to guard an open space opposite the settlement but have now begun encroaching into the community and assaulting residents.
Residents Demand Red Ants Leave Phola Park
Community leader Khuselwa Ngubelanga said residents want the Red Ants to stop harassing them in their shacks. She said they had informed the ward councillor about their plight but had received no response.
“We want the Red Ants to move away from our area. We can’t even fix a ceiling in our shacks because once they see you hammering something they come and hit you. Winter is approaching and we can’t even repair the roofs of our shacks,” said Ngubelanga.
She added that residents had reported the matter to the City’s office in Kuils River but were told the area is not recognised.Ngubelanga said residents have been living in the area for six years without basic services.
“We don’t have water here. We don’t have electricity. We don’t have toilets. When we want to relieve ourselves, we go to the bush or dig a pit toilet,” she explained.
Tragic claim from resident
Another resident, Bukwana Cenga, claimed he lost his unborn child because of the Red Ants.
“I dug a pit toilet in my yard. The following day I went to work and received a call saying the Red Ants were at my shack demanding to destroy my toilet. They were fighting with the community, and my wife was three months pregnant,” said Cenga.
He alleged that his wife later suffered a miscarriage following the incident.Cenga said residents would continue protesting until City officials come to address them.
Councillor responds to Phola Park protest
Ward 114 councillor Ernest Madika said he is aware of the residents’ grievances but said there is no proof of the allegations.
“There is nothing tangible that they are coming with. I have no power to chase away the Red Ants here. The Red Ants have a contract with the City, not with me,” said Madikane.
He explained that the Red Ants were deployed to protect an open space near Phola Park from being invaded.Madikane added that the land where Phola Park is situated is earmarked for development in the ward.
“There are more than 800 houses expected to be built on that land. That land forms part of the Bosasa Link Project,” he said. However, Madikane vowed to engage with Phola Park residents regarding the protest.
Golden Arrow Bus Torched During Protest
Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer confirmed that one of their buses was set alight on Mfuleni Main Road at approximately 05:00.She said unknown assailants first stoned the bus, injuring one of the drivers.
“They then set the bus alight, and it was subsequently burnt out. It is not clear why the attack occurred, but it may be linked to protest action. The seriousness of these types of brazen attacks should not be underplayed,” said Dyke-Beyer.
She emphasised that stoning buses and setting them alight is extremely dangerous and cannot be justified.
Police deploy Public Order Units
Provincial police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said Public Order Police had been deployed in Mfuleni following riotous behaviour before 06:00.
“Residents took to the streets to protest against the deployment of a security company and the demolition of their informal houses at Phola Park. A bus was torched on the main road in Mfuleni near the fire station,” said Gwala.
She said no injuries had been reported at this stage.
“A case of malicious damage to property will be registered for further investigation. No arrests have been made yet,” she said.
