HUNDREDS of Buffalo City residents living in informal settlements were given an opportunity to express their frustrations to Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale at the weekend. Sexwale was on a fact-finding mission in the province and on Saturday visited Sweetwaters outside King William’s Town, as well as Reeston, Duncan Village and Amalinda in East London. Residents welcomed the minister and used the opportunity to tell him about their problems...
“We appreciate the houses from government, but we need more jobs. We can’t even afford the electricity and water for these houses,” said Thabisa Dyabeni, a single mother from Thembalethu in Reeston.
Other concerns raised were houses with building defects.
Sexwale threatened that building contractors who continued to do shoddy work would be sued by the government. He said officials who offered contracts to such companies would also be held accountable for the huge amounts of taxpayers’ money lost through poor workmanship.
“The trip was invaluable in providing additional insight into conditions in some of the country’s largest informal settlements. We found the situation in Duncan Village to be similar to that in Diepsloot in Gauteng and Joe Slovo in the Western Cape, and there is no doubt that the upgrading of these areas needs to be prioritised,” Sexwale said.
- Daily Dispatch
“We appreciate the houses from government, but we need more jobs. We can’t even afford the electricity and water for these houses,” said Thabisa Dyabeni, a single mother from Thembalethu in Reeston.
Other concerns raised were houses with building defects.
Sexwale threatened that building contractors who continued to do shoddy work would be sued by the government. He said officials who offered contracts to such companies would also be held accountable for the huge amounts of taxpayers’ money lost through poor workmanship.
“The trip was invaluable in providing additional insight into conditions in some of the country’s largest informal settlements. We found the situation in Duncan Village to be similar to that in Diepsloot in Gauteng and Joe Slovo in the Western Cape, and there is no doubt that the upgrading of these areas needs to be prioritised,” Sexwale said.
- Daily Dispatch
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