25 November 2024
Andries Ngobeni fetches water from a tank in Nellmapius Ext 4 in Mamelodi where the City of Tshwane moved flood victims in August. There is an ongoing dispute between communities over this water tank. Photo: Warren Mabona
Life has become unbearable for many 2023 flood victims who were relocated to land in Mamelodi’s Nellmapius Extension 4 about three months ago. They are now demanding that the City of Tshwane fulfil its promise to relocate them within three months to permanent serviced stands in Pienaarspoort.
Since the group’s relocation to state-owned land in Nellmapius, tensions with the surrounding community have flared. People living in formal houses as well as some from surrounding informal settlements, started protesting and threatening the flood victims as they were brought into the area, from 16 August, to erect their structures on the land. They said they also wanted houses from the City and claimed that the land that the flood victims were relocated to belonged to them.
The flood victims say they have been waiting over a year for the City to fulfil its promise to relocate them from shacks which were badly damaged by flooding in 2022 and again in 2023. Some of the flood victims had been living in a community hall since the 2022 floods.
They said these included verbal altercations that broke out between them and some residents of Willow Farm informal settlement over the only water tank.
Willow Farm is not on farm land and it is situated about 200 metres away from the temporary residential land where flood victims live in Nellmapius Ext4.
Kgashane Mashigo recently told GroundUp that Willow Farm residents had started fetching water from their tank in October without permission.
“They said this tank also belongs to them. But this tank was given to us by the municipality in August a few days after they brought us here from the community hall,” said Mashigo.
He said he is worried that local residents would destroy their shacks and remove them from the area if they continue living there. He said municipal officials visited them two weeks ago and again promised that they would be moved to Pienaarspoort, but they are yet to hear back from them.
Willow Farm resident Andries Ngobeni said that he and many other residents fetched water from the tank. He claimed that the City allocated the same tank to Willow Farm residents in 2021.
“Yes, there was a verbal quarrel between us and these people [flood victims] over this tank,” said Ngobeni, while filling up a container with water.
“I fetch water here every day because I have a right to have water,” he said.
He said Willow Farm has more than 500 households. They relied on getting water from illegal connections to a neighbouring community, but this water was cut off to some of the households last month. This is why they decided to fetch water from the tank, Ngobeni said.
Another concern raised by the flood victims was that criminals have begun using their secluded area. They claim several stolen vehicles have been stripped and abandoned there.
City’s spokesperson Lindela Mashigo told GroundUp that the group’s relocation is scheduled to start at the end of November “if all goes according to plan”. He said they have completed marking out the stands and are now verifying the beneficiaries.
Mashigo said a meeting with the Pienaarspoort ward councillor and community will take place soon.