{"id":213503,"date":"2019-08-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/213503\/we-are-a-forgotten-community\/"},"modified":"2019-08-01T15:31:11","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T13:31:11","slug":"we-are-a-forgotten-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2019\/08\/02\/we-are-a-forgotten-community\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We are a forgotten community\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the cost of living rose and many found themselves unable to pay rent in 2016, Elandsfontein informal settlement sprung up on Transnet land, right behind Sizwe Secondary School, in Elandsfontein.<\/p>\n

Community leaders Yvonne Tswai and Peter Tshale said throughout the years of living in the informal settlement all their requests for service delivery have gone unanswered by the metro.<\/p>

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\u201cWe have no access to water, toilets, refuse and waste collection, and all drainage systems in the area are blocked,\u201d said Yvonne.<\/p>\n

\u201cA water tanker would deliver water weekly, but that has since stopped and we don\u2019t know why.<\/p>

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\u201cWe are a forgotten community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Philani Nkosi and Njabulo Ngcobo, who run their brick-making company on Hattingh Road, told the GCN they experienced hardships in their business during the rainy season due to flash floods in the area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The blocked drainage systems in the area cause flash floods in the community whenever there is rainfall, these floods have allegedly damaged stands and settlements in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have tried to work together with our councillor, Tiziana Plaskitt, but nothing has been done regarding this issue,\u201d said Yvonne.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Yvonne stated that Hattingh Road is in bad condition, also due to the drainage system, and community members, such as Philani Nkosi and Njabulo Ngcobo who run their brick-making business on the side of the road, are badly affected whenever it rains and cannot carry out daily operations when there are floods, this ultimately badly affects their revenue too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want efficient service delivery,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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Elandsfontein informal settlement community leaders Yvonne Tswai and Peter Tshale are dissatisfied with the quality of life in their community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Plaskitt, the land occupied by this community is privately owned and council has very little influence on the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween 2016 and 2017 residents illegally occupied Transnet land,\u201d said Tiziana<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EMPD supplied Transnet with a report on how to protect their piece of land.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransnet failed to secure their land and residents invaded the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cI received a number of concerns that individuals were paying for stands and that there were illegal activities taking place. Unfortunately, I was unable to get sufficient evidence to prove these allegations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last information I received was that the matter was allegedly in court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI submitted questions to Parliament regarding this situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have tried every avenue to assist those affected by the illegal land invasion and tried to contact the owners on several occasions, as well as engage with the occupants of the land to have the issue resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plaskitt further claimed that in understanding that the area was a wetland, she tried to prevent the land invasion in its early stages, but was allegedly threatened by a group of people coordinating the invasion.<\/p>\n

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The state of Hattingh Road in Elandsfontein during the rainy season.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cI have engaged with the metro\u2019s roads and stormwater department to have the stormwater system unblocked so the water can drain out of the wetland, which I was advised is in progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always had the best interests of all communities at heart and try to serve everyone to the best of my ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in the rule of law and as a municipal councillor I followed every avenue available to me to prevent this bad situation and to notify the correct officials and parties involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Yvonne, the metro deployed technicians to the area recently to drain the overflow of water at Sizwe Secondary School, which has destroyed the school premises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technicians drained the water, but did not unblock the drains, which means in the summer we will experience the same issue of flash floods,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The GCN contacted Transnet and the metro for comment, but none was forthcoming at the time of going to press.<\/p>\n

Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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