Residents of Goodhope Informal Settlement took to the streets last Wednesday night, continuing into last Thursday morning, to demand that things change and the metro delivers on its promises.<\/p>\n
Numerous residents of the settlement claimed the metro has not provided service delivery and infrastructure to the community despite making endless promises to do so.<\/p>
Some of the issues raised included a lack of electricity, no drainage infrastructure and no working toilets.<\/p>\n
Despite the insistence from residents that the metro is aware of their demands and visits from Ward 93 councillor Jerry Moimana, the metro claimed they are unaware of the demands.<\/p>
\u201cWe have not been made aware of the demands of the protestors from Goodhope Informal Settlement,\u201d said Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro.<\/p>\n
He went on to list some of the municipal interim basic services being provided to the informal settlement, these include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ten water standpipes.<\/p>\n
\u2022 446 chemical toilets.<\/p>\n
\u2022 A mobile clinic which services the community once a week.<\/p>\n
\u2022 2 200 solar lights which have been installed.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Regular waste collection services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a planned high-rise housing development for the area which is still at the design stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the successful installation of essential services such as water and sewerage, some of the occupants will have to be relocated to an alternative area which is still also being investigated,\u201d Gadebe said.<\/p>\n
Residents also claimed during the protest that shacks they had built on a vacant piece of land had been destroyed by the EMPD.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe land has been vacant for more than 30 years, and we have approached the metro on several occasions, asking them to help us to occupy the land,\u201d said Sizwe Mpaxa, provincial organiser of Abahlali Basemjondolo during the protest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe appealed to the metro to find out if the land was state or privately owned and if privately owned to speak to the owner and negotiate a price so they could buy it and we can live on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not receiving the help they needed, residents took it upon themselves to occupy the land, with a number of residents building shacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast Wednesday the EMPD burnt the shacks to the ground,\u201d Mpaxa alleged.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shacks\u2019 owners were not even given the opportunity to collect their belongings before the officers destroyed them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gadebe said the metro was once again unaware of the shacks that were built and burnt down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are unaware of the incident or even what land those shacks were built on,\u201d Gadebe said.<\/p>\n
A number of accusations were also lobbied at the EMPD, these included the destruction of the shacks and the firing of rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters who claimed they were not being violent.<\/p>\n
Media liaison officer for the EMPD, Kobeli Mokheseng, responded to the GCN\u2019s queries.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs one of the law enforcement agents, we also follow procedures,\u201d Mokheseng said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom May 11 structures were erected illegally on a vacant land parcel between Delmore Gardens and Delmore Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe site was visited and the people had the situation explained to them and they were verbally warned to vacate the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn arrival, we removed branch indicators from trees, a few corrugated sheets and wooden pillars, which were planted in the ground to demarcate sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe monitored the area on a daily basis and people who were attempting to invade the space illegally were addressed accordingly and workshopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the claims that the EMPD had fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the protestors, Mokheseng said, \u201cUsually when there is protest action we respond with the SAPS and on the day in question, we were side by side.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no record of EMPD officers discharging firearms at protestors in the informal settlement and we do not recall seeing any emergency vehicles leaving with injured children.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it was pointed out that shell casings were seen and photographed on the scene, as well as photographs taken of injuries sustained by a woman involved in the protest, Mokheseng once again stated there was no record of the EMPD officers discharging firearms at protestors.<\/p>\n
Mokheseng further stated the EMPD are continuing to monitor the situation at Goodhope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been monitoring the affected area and we will continue to observe until the situation is under control.\u201d<\/p>\n
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