Temporary housing becomes permanent nightmare

KARIEGA – In the aftermath of devastating flash floods that swept through Kariega in 2024, what was meant to be temporary relief has become a prolonged humanitarian nightmare for 145 displaced residents now confined to makeshift accommodations at the Van Rooyen temporary residential units (TRU) in Kamesh, Kariega.

Following the floods, the NMBM Human Settlements Directorate facilitated the relocation of victims from informal settlements in McCarthy and Lapland to these temporary housing structures next to the Kamesh Police Station.

On 29 October 2024, when the relocation took place, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Human Settlements Directorate stated it had facilitated the relocation of five residents from the McCarthy informal settlement (Ward 48). Following the dismantling of their shacks, these individuals, previously identified as victims of the June floods, were moved to temporary housing structures in Van Rooyen.

The Human Settlements Directorate allocated a total of 27 temporary structures ready for immediate occupation, of which 22 units were designated for residents coming from Lapland Informal Settlements to accommodate those affected by adverse weather events that took place in 2024. The Municipality stated it remained committed to addressing the needs of displaced residents and would continue to coordinate with departments to provide ongoing assistance, with plans for further resource allocation as needed.

However, what was intended as a short-term emergency response has now extended well beyond its original timeframe, with flood survivors finding themselves battling not only the trauma of losing their homes but also facing a new crisis of allegedly overcrowded, unsafe living conditions compounded by water scarcity, inadequate sanitation, and escalating crime that has left an entire community living in fear.

What began as municipal emergency relief has evolved into a situation that local advocates say violates basic human dignity, raising urgent questions about municipal responsibility and the treatment of climate disaster victims in an era of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

The TRUs are located in Ward 48 on Kamesh Road, a stone’s throw from the now-vandalised Allanridge Civic Centre that was stripped down by vandals. Speaking to UD Express, a resident who requested anonymity for his safety shared, “We are unsafe in this area. There were Metro Police patrols in the area for the first week we moved here, but since then, nothing. Although we are situated right next to the police station, we still fear for our lives.”

The resident mentioned that they have nine children and they cannot play freely because of the danger. “People get robbed in broad daylight here, and we cannot even go to the shop right in front of the SAPS Kamesh because we get robbed there as well. What kind of life is that?” he said. “We want to open cases with SAPS; however, we are afraid of what will happen. The police told us that they cannot protect us after we open a case so we can’t do anything.”

The resident alleged that some of the stolen materials are used in the nearby houses. “We would tell them, but the gangsters are always watching. They don’t verbally intimidate us into silence, but we all know that if you tell, you will suffer the consequences. Until there is protection in place for whistleblowers, we will not share.

“We are tired of living in this unsafe area, we want to be moved to a safer area. We can even move back to where we were [McCarthy Informal Settlement]. Yes, we were at risk there with the rain, but at least that is better than being fearful for your life every day. We want the municipality to allow us to move back with our structures, since our old ones were destroyed upon moving so that we can all be safe. We can move back illegally, but we want to do it the right way; with permission. If nothing happens for us, we will move back,” he said.

A community leader, Fadiel Mohamed, shared, “Backyard dwellers are targeting the residents because they want what the residents received; free shelter. People of Lapland and Blikkiesdorp don’t mix. I knew that it would be a dangerous situation for them. If this all happens in front of a police station and they know about it, why don’t they act, knowing that the residents are scared?”

Ward Councillor Franay van der Linde shared, “We had meetings with the Human Settlements department last year to discuss the TRU located in Van Rooyen. With regard to the vandalism in the area, the municipality said there is nothing they can do about the vandalism of the structures as it is a crime-related matter.”

Van der Linde added that gang-related incidents are believed to be occurring in the area. “The area is not safe for our Ward office committee to conduct oversight visits. However, we will try to escalate the matter again with the municipality and SAPS. Since last year, I have asked SAPS to monitor the situation, but it seems that even SAPS cannot control what is happening in the area. Our Ward committee needs members of SAPS to accompany us to the area so that we can conduct oversight for our safety as well.”

Van der Linde shared an account from a member within the SAPS Kamesh precinct, who allegedly indicated that SAPS no longer holds meetings in the area because it has become too dangerous. “If SAPS says it is too dangerous for them to enter the area, what about us regular civilians? Shootings happen at any time of the day now in the area.”

She recalled the last time she held a meeting in the area for a school-related matter with SAPS members present. “They once again assured me that they would monitor the area; however, I have not received any reports from them yet or any feedback as to how and when they monitor the area.”

Van der Linde concluded: “We tried to get intervention from the municipality, but they said they cannot assist with vandalism-related matters and referred us to SAPS. However, I will once again follow up with the municipality to see what can be done for those residents. Additionally, those structures were meant to be temporary to accommodate the Lapland residents who were displaced by the June 2024 flash flood. They were supposed to be relocated to another serviced piece of land permanently. Finding out when and where the residents will be placed permanently is our next step.”

The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that in Blikkiesdorp, an area in Kamesh, some of the temporary housing is vandalised and items were stolen from these properties. SAPS spokesperson André Beetge said, “Some of the persons who occupied this housing have since moved out to alternative accommodations. There are still community members residing in most of the units.”

He added that as they vacate these houses, opportunistic criminal elements target these empty houses and vandalise them, stealing items like windows, electrical cabling and even the roofs. This is done mostly at night and SAPS Kamesh has been doing regular patrols of this housing complex. No formal cases have been opened on these thefts to date.

“SAPS also receives regular information that the residents are being robbed on the streets. In some instances cases are opened by the victims; however, there is a tendency in that community not to open cases owing to them alleging that they fear for retribution by the criminal elements doing these crimes,” Beetge said.

Beetge noted that there are protective measures in place. “SAPS Kamesh is doing regular patrols via vehicles as well as on foot. Imbizos are also held in the area with the community and the Community Police Forum is active in the area. Special search operations are also being conducted by Nelson Mandela Bay District Task Team targeting known criminals in the area. SAPS urges the community to open cases in order for the perpetrators to be arrested.”

Residents concluded, “If we are to stay here, we need police visibility, a floodlight to see danger coming and cameras in front of the police station monitoring this area regularly. If the municipality, police and councillors cannot protect us from the criminals, who can?”

The municipality was approached for comment but did not respond at the time of going to print.