I WATCHED in horror as clouds of smoke billowed into the sky on Wednesday afternoon [11 November].
Instinctively I knew from the direction of the smoke that Msawawa, the informal settlement on the banks of the Klein Jukskei River, was on fire! The wind was strong and the fire raced through the settlement destroying everything in its path.
The fire department had been called and were soon at the scene, but one of the tragedies of Msawawa is that there has never been any planning and the shacks are built so close to each other that the fire rescue vehicles could not manage to reach the middle where the fire was raging.
It has been estimated that close to 2 000 shacks have been destroyed.
How the fire started is not really known, but as gas cylinders and paraffin stoves were caught in the blaze, these only worsened the situation.
The Gift of the Givers, Juda Africa, Randburg SPCA, representatives from Future City Fourways and concerned residents from Chartwell, Broadacres, Cedar Lakes and surrounding areas have all rushed to help the affected residents.
The response to this disaster has been marvellous. But – what is the solution to this problem which is likely to reoccur?
The Fourways area has grown by leaps and bounds. Developers and builders have made their fortunes there – but what about housing provision for the thousands of workers?
Twenty years ago, Msawawa was a football field on the banks of the Klein Jukskei River. It was there before most of Cedar Lakes [Lifesetyle Estate] was built. As people moved into the area to find work, shacks sprung up around this football field. Today there is no space at all between all the shacks and certainly no field on which to play football.
The shack residents are living in dire circumstances – they make a plan for survival with wood, iron, cardboard, batteries for charging lights and cellphones. Toilet facilities are non-existent and their furniture has been collected from kind employers or made from discarded wooden crates.
Over the years, they have been promised RDP houses, firstly at Cosmo City, then it was to be at the Lion Park development. They have received letters of promise… others have been given RDP houses and they let them out to tenants because they have more comfortable accommodation with their employers…
What is wrong with the system? Is it necessary to give a bribe or to know someone in the Housing Department?
Msawawa residents have been treated most unfairly and we residents of Fourways who enjoy their labour cannot allow this situation to continue.
Please, please – let’s combine our efforts, let’s involve influential and concerned persons and let’s alleviate the hardship of the Msawawa residents.
They have been patient for too long already!
I would like to form a group of concerned people to help in this regard and can be contacted on e-mail dalglishm@mweb.co.za
Thank you
