Shacks in Masiphumelele wetland area drenched

Lucky Tyalbooi could not make it to work the next day because his flooded room needed to be drained. “Most of my belongings were wet and the water went through my cupboard and ruined my food,” said Tyalbooi.

Nolusindiso Khuzwayo’s shack was also flooded. But she said she did not want to move to another one, and would rather maintain the one she lives in. “Whenever the City tries to rescue us from this wetland, they always move us to other shacks. Then the same thing happens again and they move us to another. All I need is a proper house,” said Khuzwayo.

Masiphumelele ward councilor, Mzuvukile Nikelo, said that he was unaware of the situation or the residents would have been helped. “Usually when the residents are in such a situation we call disaster management, and they come do an assessment and help the residents, but no one informed me about what had happened,” said Nikelo.

Nikelo told Ground Up that they could not build houses where the residents lived as it was in a wetland. “The challenge we are facing is that the number of houses that we are able to build for the people living on the wetland will not accommodate everyone,” he said.

A resident who lives in the wetland explained that even as houses are built, new people move into the shacks, so the problem continues.