Pretoria - Unemployment-induced poverty was causing many government housing beneficiaries to move back into shacks, a Human Sciences Research Council report revealed on Tuesday.
“Unemployment is undermining South Africa’s housing delivery strategy,” researcher Catherine Cross said in Pretoria.
Although the government’s housing delivery strategy had made many gains, and had the potential of success, “under the current situation of high unemployment, it is probably an expensive gamble”, she added.
The HSRC released a report on poverty in Gauteng, which Cross said was probably also an accurate reflection of trends elsewhere in the country.
“Serviced housing alone is not going to be enough to overcome poverty,” she said. “There will have to be jobs. It is becoming more and more difficult for people to stay in the houses they’ve got.”
Government housing delivery was supposed to enable beneficiaries to accumulate an asset base and invest in their future.
Permanent entrenchment of shack areas?
But because of unemployment and poverty, many were being unable to afford ordinary household running costs.
Even two social grants per household, in the absence of any other income, were often not enough to make a difference, Cross said.
She questioned the government’s ability to eradicate shack settlements by 2014, and predicted “a permanent entrenchment of shack areas” as the country’s worst case scenario.
She could not say when this point was likely to be reached at the current rate, but said it was not too late to turn the tide.
“I don’t think we are anywhere near the point of no return. We are in a sticky situation, but not lost,” said Cross.
Solutions included cities, the government, business and organised labour working together to create sustainable jobs — although she could not say how this would be achieved.
Easy savings options
The HSRC study found that 32% of “poverty pockets” in Gauteng were not in shack settlements but in metro areas with formal housing and services.
“Many poverty pockets already have formal housing and are still poor. A lot of them are so poor that they may lose their houses and slide back into shacks.”
The study revealed that rural-to-urban migration was not the only cause of poverty in cities, as many policy makers seemed to think.
A bigger problem was cities’ inability to generate sustainable employment.
But urban migration by people seeking a better life threatened to bankrupt cities, Cross said. An accumulating burden of poverty alleviation programmes may undermine city budgets, with subsidies attracting even more migrants.
“Is there a reason to be afraid? To some extent probably.”
Possible solutions included the use of incentives like easy access to housing and service sites, to steer migration to “sustainable” places.
Ways should also be found to make it easier for people who have received government houses to keep them, perhaps through offering easy savings options.
The report is to be presented to Gauteng policy makers and politicians to be used in service delivery plans for the future. - News24
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
Housing officials told not to “plead poverty”
Provincial housing ministers should not blame a lack of funds for slow delivery when they fail to spend their full budget allocation, the chairperson of Parliament’s finance select committee said on Monday.
“Don’t … plead poverty,” Tutu Ralane told the housing ministers of four provinces who reported on their spending.
Before complaining about an inequitable division of resources among provinces, provincial ministers should look at why available funds are not being spent, he said.
Among the provinces to give account on Monday morning, the Western Cape reported having spent 68% of its R532-million 2005/06 budget by December, while Mpumalanga missed its 75% expenditure target for the same period by 9%.
Mpumalanga housing minister Jabu Mahlangu was among those to complain of a skewed allocation of resources among provinces.
Ralane agreed the matter should be considered by national departments, but said provincial ministers’ focus should be on quality spending of available funds — and the effect of that spending on communities.
He criticised the ministers for not having specific information on challenges they reported on, including skills shortages.
“Don’t come here and generalise again,” Ralane said. “Don’t say you lack capacity. Say you lack engineers, for instance, and tell us what you are doing about it.”
There is a need for a comprehensive audit of capacity, he added.
One committee member pointed out that while provincial ministers lament a lack of skilled personnel, grant money intended for training has also been underspent.
Mahlangu said part of Mpumalanga’s skills shortage can be blamed on the firing of 25 housing-department officials for corrupt practices. Fifty-nine percent of posts in the provincial housing department are vacant.
Ralane pointed to what he termed the “Hollywood” problem, in which “almost everyone is acting”.
That creates uncertainty, instability and a lack of accountability in departments, he said. — Sapa
“Don’t … plead poverty,” Tutu Ralane told the housing ministers of four provinces who reported on their spending.
Before complaining about an inequitable division of resources among provinces, provincial ministers should look at why available funds are not being spent, he said.
Among the provinces to give account on Monday morning, the Western Cape reported having spent 68% of its R532-million 2005/06 budget by December, while Mpumalanga missed its 75% expenditure target for the same period by 9%.
Mpumalanga housing minister Jabu Mahlangu was among those to complain of a skewed allocation of resources among provinces.
Ralane agreed the matter should be considered by national departments, but said provincial ministers’ focus should be on quality spending of available funds — and the effect of that spending on communities.
He criticised the ministers for not having specific information on challenges they reported on, including skills shortages.
“Don’t come here and generalise again,” Ralane said. “Don’t say you lack capacity. Say you lack engineers, for instance, and tell us what you are doing about it.”
There is a need for a comprehensive audit of capacity, he added.
One committee member pointed out that while provincial ministers lament a lack of skilled personnel, grant money intended for training has also been underspent.
Mahlangu said part of Mpumalanga’s skills shortage can be blamed on the firing of 25 housing-department officials for corrupt practices. Fifty-nine percent of posts in the provincial housing department are vacant.
Ralane pointed to what he termed the “Hollywood” problem, in which “almost everyone is acting”.
That creates uncertainty, instability and a lack of accountability in departments, he said. — Sapa
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Housing MECs fail to deliver or show up
The select portfolio on finance has given housing MEC’s a tongue-lashing for not showing up in Parliament today. They were supposed to be there to account for how they have spent their housing budgets. But aside from not turning up, many seem to have underutilised their money.
Western Cape Habitat
Sporadic protests on non-delivery of housing have escalated in provinces across the country. The reason given for the non-delivery is that there is not enough money. But the treasury says there is.
The Western Cape alone has under spent its budget by R800 million.
Parliament heard that the other big under-spenders are Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga. Tutu Ralane, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, says he is disappointed that only the Free State turned up.
“We don’t want to hear generalisations about capacity … we want MECs to start identifying areas where they lack capacity and then focus to address it.”
The provinces that have spent their money are the Northern Cape and North West. Ralane says they want provinces to share experiences on how best to deliver houses. - SABC
Western Cape Habitat
Sporadic protests on non-delivery of housing have escalated in provinces across the country. The reason given for the non-delivery is that there is not enough money. But the treasury says there is.
The Western Cape alone has under spent its budget by R800 million.
Parliament heard that the other big under-spenders are Limpopo, Free State and Mpumalanga. Tutu Ralane, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, says he is disappointed that only the Free State turned up.
“We don’t want to hear generalisations about capacity … we want MECs to start identifying areas where they lack capacity and then focus to address it.”
The provinces that have spent their money are the Northern Cape and North West. Ralane says they want provinces to share experiences on how best to deliver houses. - SABC
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
CCS Report Housing Crisis Cape Town, Western Cape 1994-2004
The Centre for Civil Society publishes regular peer reviewed research reports in order to stimulate debate and reflection in civil society. Adding to the Centre’s contribution is the Research and Analysis Skills Strengthening Programme (RASSP) research reports.
The housing crisis consists of various components including:
• The lack of adequate housing;
• The slow rate of delivery;
• Evictions; and
• Indigence
Conclusion
The housing backlog has increased proportional to the growth of the population in the province and has reached a crisis point where it is about to spiral out of control.
This study argues that the exacerbation of the crisis in housing is as a result of the overall shift towards market-oriented policies, which shapes the approach of housing authorities.
It is the contention of this study that the basis of this crisis and the reason for it spiraling out of control is the failure of the state to take responsibility for resolving the crisis and the shifting towards market-oriented policies.
Housing authorities have been unable to reverse the growth in the backlog despite the mushrooming of various low-cost housing schemes.
The experiences of poor communities accessing low-cost housing have been very frustrating.
The experiences of both the old Council schemes and the new RDP schemes are similar in terms of the crisis of affordability in accessing adequate housing.
The housing crisis consists of various components including:
• The lack of adequate housing;
• The slow rate of delivery;
• Evictions; and
• Indigence
Conclusion
The housing backlog has increased proportional to the growth of the population in the province and has reached a crisis point where it is about to spiral out of control.
This study argues that the exacerbation of the crisis in housing is as a result of the overall shift towards market-oriented policies, which shapes the approach of housing authorities.
It is the contention of this study that the basis of this crisis and the reason for it spiraling out of control is the failure of the state to take responsibility for resolving the crisis and the shifting towards market-oriented policies.
Housing authorities have been unable to reverse the growth in the backlog despite the mushrooming of various low-cost housing schemes.
The experiences of poor communities accessing low-cost housing have been very frustrating.
The experiences of both the old Council schemes and the new RDP schemes are similar in terms of the crisis of affordability in accessing adequate housing.
Another shack fire in Cape Town
A fire in the KTC informal settlement in Guguletu in Cape Town has been brought under control. It is not clear what started Wednesday morning’s blaze, but Cape Town fire services says about 20 wood and iron structures have been destroyed.
Fire services spokesperson Theo Layne said that nine fire-fighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene, and disaster management personnel are expected to visit the site to assess the damage. Layne says no injuries or fatalities have been reported. - Bush Radio
Fire services spokesperson Theo Layne said that nine fire-fighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene, and disaster management personnel are expected to visit the site to assess the damage. Layne says no injuries or fatalities have been reported. - Bush Radio
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Cape Town’s youth worry about fire
Hundreds of Capetonians face 2006 homeless following fires in the Masiphumelele neighbourhood in the South Peninsula last week.
Among them, undoubtedly, are schoolchildren who may now enter their new classes without uniforms, books and possibly without even school fees, let alone somewhere to study and sleep and eat. And it’s very likely that among the homeless are the very children and teenagers who told University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers that fire was one of their worst nightmares.
“Worrying about fires is one of the main issues highlighted by children and teenagers in our study in 2005,” says Dr Rachel Bray, of the Centre for Social Science Research at UCT. “They know that people die. And they know that services find it difficult to come in time because the nearest fire station is in Fish Hoek, several kilometres down the road.”
Bray, working with researchers Susan Moses and Imke Gooskens, spent a year-and-a-half of what she calls “serious human investment” in getting to know a wide range of children — about 70 overall — in the often-overlooked South Peninsula region of Cape Town.
“The children didn’t complain so much about the lack of facilities like poor housing or leaking roofs, which we had expected, or sanitation or water shortages,” the research coordinator reports. “But they were very concerned about fire.”
Although the fear is most pronounced in children living in informal settlements, their peers in better-off suburbs in the South Peninsula are also highly aware of the dangers, and empathise with the difficulties of living densely packed together in shacks.
Firefighters, obviously, aren’t able to consult with children first before doing what they can to contain the fires that burned out of control in much of the Cape this windswept holiday season. But other adults may be in a different position.
“Children in the new South Africa are asking for more consultation about what is being done for them,” confirms Bray. But this is not about high-handed prima donnas demanding more from cash-strapped government departments or charities, she cautions.
“Children realise that someone like a firefighter can only do so much. The firefighters come into the schools to educate them. They know about getting down low and crawling out and not making an effort to rescue their possessions,” says Bray. The issue, for her, is what happens in the aftermath of a fire.
Survivors are often very grateful for clothes and any offers of help in an emergency. But Bray suggests that fires raise long-term issues that also need to be tackled.
“There’s a very real connection between fires and problems with schooling, for example,” she notes.
Also, preventative efforts are often more effective if they consult the entire community, including the children.
“Services that consult with children and teens are much more effective in achieving their aims,” the Scarborough resident explains.
Young people are clear on what works for them: not disapproving staff in distant locations, but officials and services easily available within walking distance.
Even limited interventions are deeply appreciated by the children — and have unexpected and beneficial spin-offs. Feeding schemes in Ocean View and Masiphumelele, for example, nourish both body and soul as the local women who cook for the children also keep an eye on them, assisting personally when their families are torn apart in a crisis or alerting social workers.
Most of all, school was identified as a hugely important space for children, whether to recover from the trauma of a fire or to socialise with others from different residential areas.
Although the children see apartheid as something old-fashioned and out of date — “our parent’s generation, not ours” — researchers noted otherwise. They said the lingering, toxic aftereffects of apartheid still have a huge daily impact on the lives of young people, more than a decade after the official disappearance of legal segregation.
The physical location of communities, continuing disparities in financial resources and the circulation of stereotypes damage many children’s chances of accessing facilities and hampered meaningful interaction across social and physical boundaries.
Runaway fires, after all, may gut two homes in Camps Bay over the holiday season. But the fires will burn down 100 shacks in Masiphumelele in the same space of time.
It’s not because the wind blows differently. It’s because of poverty. And the children and teenagers know it.
“Children in Ocean View and Masiphumelele are acutely aware of the economic factors that underlie the violence that surrounds them, whether it’s fires or fights outside a shebeen,” says Bray. “They understand that there is a limit to what can be done. But they’re saying that any attempt to improve the situation has to take the poverty into account.”
Research done by Rachel Bray and her team is available online on the Centre for Social Science Research website at UCT SSR
Mail & Guardian
Among them, undoubtedly, are schoolchildren who may now enter their new classes without uniforms, books and possibly without even school fees, let alone somewhere to study and sleep and eat. And it’s very likely that among the homeless are the very children and teenagers who told University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers that fire was one of their worst nightmares.
“Worrying about fires is one of the main issues highlighted by children and teenagers in our study in 2005,” says Dr Rachel Bray, of the Centre for Social Science Research at UCT. “They know that people die. And they know that services find it difficult to come in time because the nearest fire station is in Fish Hoek, several kilometres down the road.”
Bray, working with researchers Susan Moses and Imke Gooskens, spent a year-and-a-half of what she calls “serious human investment” in getting to know a wide range of children — about 70 overall — in the often-overlooked South Peninsula region of Cape Town.
“The children didn’t complain so much about the lack of facilities like poor housing or leaking roofs, which we had expected, or sanitation or water shortages,” the research coordinator reports. “But they were very concerned about fire.”
Although the fear is most pronounced in children living in informal settlements, their peers in better-off suburbs in the South Peninsula are also highly aware of the dangers, and empathise with the difficulties of living densely packed together in shacks.
Firefighters, obviously, aren’t able to consult with children first before doing what they can to contain the fires that burned out of control in much of the Cape this windswept holiday season. But other adults may be in a different position.
“Children in the new South Africa are asking for more consultation about what is being done for them,” confirms Bray. But this is not about high-handed prima donnas demanding more from cash-strapped government departments or charities, she cautions.
“Children realise that someone like a firefighter can only do so much. The firefighters come into the schools to educate them. They know about getting down low and crawling out and not making an effort to rescue their possessions,” says Bray. The issue, for her, is what happens in the aftermath of a fire.
Survivors are often very grateful for clothes and any offers of help in an emergency. But Bray suggests that fires raise long-term issues that also need to be tackled.
“There’s a very real connection between fires and problems with schooling, for example,” she notes.
Also, preventative efforts are often more effective if they consult the entire community, including the children.
“Services that consult with children and teens are much more effective in achieving their aims,” the Scarborough resident explains.
Young people are clear on what works for them: not disapproving staff in distant locations, but officials and services easily available within walking distance.
Even limited interventions are deeply appreciated by the children — and have unexpected and beneficial spin-offs. Feeding schemes in Ocean View and Masiphumelele, for example, nourish both body and soul as the local women who cook for the children also keep an eye on them, assisting personally when their families are torn apart in a crisis or alerting social workers.
Most of all, school was identified as a hugely important space for children, whether to recover from the trauma of a fire or to socialise with others from different residential areas.
Although the children see apartheid as something old-fashioned and out of date — “our parent’s generation, not ours” — researchers noted otherwise. They said the lingering, toxic aftereffects of apartheid still have a huge daily impact on the lives of young people, more than a decade after the official disappearance of legal segregation.
The physical location of communities, continuing disparities in financial resources and the circulation of stereotypes damage many children’s chances of accessing facilities and hampered meaningful interaction across social and physical boundaries.
Runaway fires, after all, may gut two homes in Camps Bay over the holiday season. But the fires will burn down 100 shacks in Masiphumelele in the same space of time.
It’s not because the wind blows differently. It’s because of poverty. And the children and teenagers know it.
“Children in Ocean View and Masiphumelele are acutely aware of the economic factors that underlie the violence that surrounds them, whether it’s fires or fights outside a shebeen,” says Bray. “They understand that there is a limit to what can be done. But they’re saying that any attempt to improve the situation has to take the poverty into account.”
Research done by Rachel Bray and her team is available online on the Centre for Social Science Research website at UCT SSR
Mail & Guardian
Saturday, January 7, 2006
The rise of SA’s shacks
The number of shack dwellings in South Africa rose from 1,45-million in 1996 to 2,14-million in 2003, according to Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu.
Between 1996 and 2001, 383 392 new shack dwellings were built. A further 304 502 were built between 2001 and 2003 — a total of 687 894 in the seven years. That was 417 new shacks a day on average between 2001 and 2003 and 210 shacks per day on average in the five years between 1996 and 2001.
The average number of shacks built per day for the seven-year period — or 2 555 days — was 269,2 shacks.
In a reply on Friday to a parliamentary question from Inkatha Freedom Party MP MA Mzizi, the minister noted that according to Statistics South Africa’s 1996 census there were 1 452 839 shacks, including shacks in backyards and shacks not in backyards.
According to the 2001 census, the figure for shacks had risen to 1,8-million — 1 836 231, to be exact. By 2003, the figure had risen to 2,14-million — 2 140 733 — in terms of the 2003 non-financial survey of municipalities.
The province with the most shacks was Gauteng with 688 752 in 2003, up from 468 304 in 1996. KwaZulu-Natal had the second-largest number with 351 520 in 2003. This was nearly double the number of 1996, when the figure was 185 545.
Although Limpopo was working off a low base of 47 911 shacks in 1996, this number nearly quadrupled to 165 554 in 2003.
Two provinces have shown a real drop in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003. In the Eastern Cape, the figure dropped from 166 772 shacks to 156 297 shacks in this time. The Western Cape’s figures dropped from 189 546 to 185 230 in this time. In 1996, the Western Cape had 162 894 shacks and the Eastern Cape had 145 461.
While the Northern Cape saw a drop in shacks from 26 218 in 1996 to 25 793 in 2001, this rose to 35 186 in 2003.
The Free State showed only a marginal increase in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003 — from 191 184 to 192 609. In 1996, the figure for that province was 162 713.
The minister noted that the data indicated that the number of shacks rose by 26,39% from 1996 to 2001 — averaging nearly 5,3% a year. She noted the 2003 survey indicated that there was a 16,5% increase between 2001 and 2003.
The number of shacks was increasing at nearly 8% a year. — I-Net Bridge
Between 1996 and 2001, 383 392 new shack dwellings were built. A further 304 502 were built between 2001 and 2003 — a total of 687 894 in the seven years. That was 417 new shacks a day on average between 2001 and 2003 and 210 shacks per day on average in the five years between 1996 and 2001.
The average number of shacks built per day for the seven-year period — or 2 555 days — was 269,2 shacks.
In a reply on Friday to a parliamentary question from Inkatha Freedom Party MP MA Mzizi, the minister noted that according to Statistics South Africa’s 1996 census there were 1 452 839 shacks, including shacks in backyards and shacks not in backyards.
According to the 2001 census, the figure for shacks had risen to 1,8-million — 1 836 231, to be exact. By 2003, the figure had risen to 2,14-million — 2 140 733 — in terms of the 2003 non-financial survey of municipalities.
The province with the most shacks was Gauteng with 688 752 in 2003, up from 468 304 in 1996. KwaZulu-Natal had the second-largest number with 351 520 in 2003. This was nearly double the number of 1996, when the figure was 185 545.
Although Limpopo was working off a low base of 47 911 shacks in 1996, this number nearly quadrupled to 165 554 in 2003.
Two provinces have shown a real drop in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003. In the Eastern Cape, the figure dropped from 166 772 shacks to 156 297 shacks in this time. The Western Cape’s figures dropped from 189 546 to 185 230 in this time. In 1996, the Western Cape had 162 894 shacks and the Eastern Cape had 145 461.
While the Northern Cape saw a drop in shacks from 26 218 in 1996 to 25 793 in 2001, this rose to 35 186 in 2003.
The Free State showed only a marginal increase in the number of shacks between 2001 and 2003 — from 191 184 to 192 609. In 1996, the figure for that province was 162 713.
The minister noted that the data indicated that the number of shacks rose by 26,39% from 1996 to 2001 — averaging nearly 5,3% a year. She noted the 2003 survey indicated that there was a 16,5% increase between 2001 and 2003.
The number of shacks was increasing at nearly 8% a year. — I-Net Bridge
‘There is no holiday in the shacks’
From the slums of Durban, a new movement is giving voice to millions of South Africans living in shacks and increasingly feeling forgotten by the post-apartheid government.
Abahlali Base Mjondolo, the Zulu name for shack dwellers, is the largest group to emerge from South Africa’s informal settlements, the sprawling slums of wood, corrugated steel and cardboard shacks that have mushroomed near cities.
Its leader, 30-year-old gas attendant S’bu Zikode, gained national prominence last month when newspapers published a letter he wrote poignantly describing the lives of South Africa’s poorest of the poor.
“There is no holiday in the shacks,” wrote Zikode. “When the evening comes, it is always a challenge. The night is supposed to be for relaxing and getting rest.
“But not in the jondolos [shacks]. People stay awake worrying about their lives. You must see how big the rats are that run across the babies.”
A soft-spoken father of four who has been living in a shack for the past 10 years, Zikode said he feels betrayed by the African National Congress government that came to power at the end of apartheid in 1994 on a platform to help the poor.
“The ANC must use the power that we gave them to deliver,” said Zikode.
Since the squatters from 14 settlements formed their movement nine months ago, there have been five marches drawing several thousand protesters, a meeting with the mayor and a televised debate between Zikode and Minister of Local and Provincial Government Sydney Mufamadi.
“Right now, Abahlali is the biggest movement in the country that originates from, is organised by and is sustained by very poor people. They get no donor funding,” said Richard Pithouse, a researcher at the Centre for Civil Society of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
But Zikode declares all of these actions “a failure”, saying that people continue to live in squalor and promises of housing or “upgrades” have not materialised.
The group is, however, drawing attention as a voice for the estimated 2,4-million South African households that live in shacks, speaking out with a forceful purpose about their plight.
“What do we want? The basics,” said Zikode, holding out his hand and ticking off demands on his fingers: “Water, electricity, sanitation, land and housing.”
Zikode’s message is resonating among fellow shack dwellers like 23-year-old Wandile Ndanda, who took part in the protests organised by Abahlali because he feels the ANC government is “taking too long”.
“We put these people in power and now they don’t want to give us homes,” said Ndanda.
Hugging a hillside in southern Durban, about 1 000 shacks in the Foreman Road settlement are home to the downtrodden, where dozens of children can be seen playing in narrow, muddied pathways, littered with garbage.
Sitting next to her two children age two and four, Hlengiwe Sosiba points to the holes in the corrugated-steel roof of her shack, where flattened milk cartons cover the walls and floors.
“When it rains, the water comes inside. The babies catch flu and all these things,” she said.
Most of the squatters said fire is their biggest worry in the shacks where paraffin stoves are used for cooking and candles for light.
Pinkie Mxinwa said she lost everything in a recent fire but her two children, age one and five, escaped with their lives, unlike one-year-old Mhlengi Khumalo who died in a shack fire last month.
Protesters have taken to the streets in townships and settlements in Cape Town and Johannesburg over recent months to demand better housing and services, often braving rubber bullets and tear gas fired by police.
With the approach of municipal elections on March 1 that will measure the ANC’s support at the grassroots level, the voice of the shack dwellers is expected to grow louder, said Zikode, wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned “No land, no home, no vote”. — Sapa-AFP
Carole Landry | Durban, South Africa
Abahlali Base Mjondolo, the Zulu name for shack dwellers, is the largest group to emerge from South Africa’s informal settlements, the sprawling slums of wood, corrugated steel and cardboard shacks that have mushroomed near cities.
Its leader, 30-year-old gas attendant S’bu Zikode, gained national prominence last month when newspapers published a letter he wrote poignantly describing the lives of South Africa’s poorest of the poor.
“There is no holiday in the shacks,” wrote Zikode. “When the evening comes, it is always a challenge. The night is supposed to be for relaxing and getting rest.
“But not in the jondolos [shacks]. People stay awake worrying about their lives. You must see how big the rats are that run across the babies.”
A soft-spoken father of four who has been living in a shack for the past 10 years, Zikode said he feels betrayed by the African National Congress government that came to power at the end of apartheid in 1994 on a platform to help the poor.
“The ANC must use the power that we gave them to deliver,” said Zikode.
Since the squatters from 14 settlements formed their movement nine months ago, there have been five marches drawing several thousand protesters, a meeting with the mayor and a televised debate between Zikode and Minister of Local and Provincial Government Sydney Mufamadi.
“Right now, Abahlali is the biggest movement in the country that originates from, is organised by and is sustained by very poor people. They get no donor funding,” said Richard Pithouse, a researcher at the Centre for Civil Society of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
But Zikode declares all of these actions “a failure”, saying that people continue to live in squalor and promises of housing or “upgrades” have not materialised.
The group is, however, drawing attention as a voice for the estimated 2,4-million South African households that live in shacks, speaking out with a forceful purpose about their plight.
“What do we want? The basics,” said Zikode, holding out his hand and ticking off demands on his fingers: “Water, electricity, sanitation, land and housing.”
Zikode’s message is resonating among fellow shack dwellers like 23-year-old Wandile Ndanda, who took part in the protests organised by Abahlali because he feels the ANC government is “taking too long”.
“We put these people in power and now they don’t want to give us homes,” said Ndanda.
Hugging a hillside in southern Durban, about 1 000 shacks in the Foreman Road settlement are home to the downtrodden, where dozens of children can be seen playing in narrow, muddied pathways, littered with garbage.
Sitting next to her two children age two and four, Hlengiwe Sosiba points to the holes in the corrugated-steel roof of her shack, where flattened milk cartons cover the walls and floors.
“When it rains, the water comes inside. The babies catch flu and all these things,” she said.
Most of the squatters said fire is their biggest worry in the shacks where paraffin stoves are used for cooking and candles for light.
Pinkie Mxinwa said she lost everything in a recent fire but her two children, age one and five, escaped with their lives, unlike one-year-old Mhlengi Khumalo who died in a shack fire last month.
Protesters have taken to the streets in townships and settlements in Cape Town and Johannesburg over recent months to demand better housing and services, often braving rubber bullets and tear gas fired by police.
With the approach of municipal elections on March 1 that will measure the ANC’s support at the grassroots level, the voice of the shack dwellers is expected to grow louder, said Zikode, wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned “No land, no home, no vote”. — Sapa-AFP
Carole Landry | Durban, South Africa
Friday, January 6, 2006
Fires raze 8 000 city shacks in 2005
The latest fire in the Joe Slovo informal settlement brought the number of shacks destroyed in greater Cape Town to about 8 000 in less than a year - in nearly 2 000 shack blazes.
Almost 28 000 people were left homeless. The frequent fires have cost the City of Cape Town and the province R13 million in emergency funding.
This does not include costs of firefighting. More than 100 people lost their lives last year in informal settlement fires in the greater Cape Town area.
The fire at Joe Slovo in Langa early yesterday destroyed about 800 shacks, leaving about 4 000 homeless. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The blaze comes almost exactly a year after a huge blaze devastated Joe Slovo, razing 4 000 dwellings and leaving about 12 000 inhabitants homeless.
Most of these people are still waiting for homes in the nearby N2 Gateway.
Pogiso Molapo, the city’s acting director for human settlement services, said the total cost of fires in informal settlements in the greater Cape Town region for the year would exceed R13m.
It had been estimated that the cost of relief after a recent fire at Doornbach informal settlement amounted to R2.1m, he said.
This included the cost of starter kits, two meals per person a day, a blanket for every individual and a special social grant from the provincial administration.
The latest statistics, Molapo said, revealed that for the past seven years the number of fires in informal settlements had averaged more than 1 000 a year.
The dry conditions and strong winds at this time of the year helped fires spread rapidly, claim lives and cause serious damage to property.
“In the light of these startling figures of human misfortune and suffering, the City of Cape Town is to launch an awareness campaign to alert residents and visitors to the dangers of fires. One death due to a fire is one too many,” said fire and rescue services chief Piet Smith.
The campaign has already started, with staff of fire and rescue services helping disaster management distribute safety pamphlets at informal settlements. Fire engine crews have been going to these settlements to familiarise the crews with the areas and to educate people about fire safety.
The effort will include a targeted radio campaign, the distribution of calendars, stickers and other material with easily understandable safety tips about the use of fire.
“When our city is burning, it affects every resident as it drains our scarce financial resources,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, the R2.3 billion N2 Gateway project, which aims to replace the shacks sprawling along the N2, has completed hundreds of the more than 22 000 housing units planned in one of the sites.
The council has declined to reveal the exact number of completed units, saying that “this may tempt people to illegally occupy the buildings”.
Asked when the units would be occupied, officials said the area was still a construction site.
“There is still work to be done on most of the parts of the project. As soon as construction is complete, there will be consultation and agreement on the date of occupation.”
This ought to be before the end of June.
Questioned about the enforcement of three-metre fire breaks between shacks, Molapo said the city tried to enforce this, but “people sometimes build their shacks on these spaces, as we are not able to continually monitor all the spaces next to each house”.
The latest fire victims will be accommodated in nearby community halls until they can rebuild their shacks. They could not rebuild them on the previous site under Eskom power lines. Instead, the rehousing project will be moved to alternative land.
The registration and verification of the fire victims got under way yesterday and displaced people received starter kits to rebuild their homes.
They were also provided with food.
——————————————————————————–
Disaster management safety tips
Most blazes in our informal settlements are caused by candles or paraffin stoves falling over. All possible practical steps should be taken to prevent fires from occurring or spreading.
These types of fires can be easily prevented by cutting candles in half. It is less likely to fall over if it is shorter.
Another easy tip is to put a handful of dry sand in the base of candle holders to keep it stable.
In the case of paraffin stoves people should place these stoves on a bed of sand within a container such as an old tin drum. - Cape Argus
Almost 28 000 people were left homeless. The frequent fires have cost the City of Cape Town and the province R13 million in emergency funding.
This does not include costs of firefighting. More than 100 people lost their lives last year in informal settlement fires in the greater Cape Town area.
The fire at Joe Slovo in Langa early yesterday destroyed about 800 shacks, leaving about 4 000 homeless. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The blaze comes almost exactly a year after a huge blaze devastated Joe Slovo, razing 4 000 dwellings and leaving about 12 000 inhabitants homeless.
Most of these people are still waiting for homes in the nearby N2 Gateway.
Pogiso Molapo, the city’s acting director for human settlement services, said the total cost of fires in informal settlements in the greater Cape Town region for the year would exceed R13m.
It had been estimated that the cost of relief after a recent fire at Doornbach informal settlement amounted to R2.1m, he said.
This included the cost of starter kits, two meals per person a day, a blanket for every individual and a special social grant from the provincial administration.
The latest statistics, Molapo said, revealed that for the past seven years the number of fires in informal settlements had averaged more than 1 000 a year.
The dry conditions and strong winds at this time of the year helped fires spread rapidly, claim lives and cause serious damage to property.
“In the light of these startling figures of human misfortune and suffering, the City of Cape Town is to launch an awareness campaign to alert residents and visitors to the dangers of fires. One death due to a fire is one too many,” said fire and rescue services chief Piet Smith.
The campaign has already started, with staff of fire and rescue services helping disaster management distribute safety pamphlets at informal settlements. Fire engine crews have been going to these settlements to familiarise the crews with the areas and to educate people about fire safety.
The effort will include a targeted radio campaign, the distribution of calendars, stickers and other material with easily understandable safety tips about the use of fire.
“When our city is burning, it affects every resident as it drains our scarce financial resources,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, the R2.3 billion N2 Gateway project, which aims to replace the shacks sprawling along the N2, has completed hundreds of the more than 22 000 housing units planned in one of the sites.
The council has declined to reveal the exact number of completed units, saying that “this may tempt people to illegally occupy the buildings”.
Asked when the units would be occupied, officials said the area was still a construction site.
“There is still work to be done on most of the parts of the project. As soon as construction is complete, there will be consultation and agreement on the date of occupation.”
This ought to be before the end of June.
Questioned about the enforcement of three-metre fire breaks between shacks, Molapo said the city tried to enforce this, but “people sometimes build their shacks on these spaces, as we are not able to continually monitor all the spaces next to each house”.
The latest fire victims will be accommodated in nearby community halls until they can rebuild their shacks. They could not rebuild them on the previous site under Eskom power lines. Instead, the rehousing project will be moved to alternative land.
The registration and verification of the fire victims got under way yesterday and displaced people received starter kits to rebuild their homes.
They were also provided with food.
——————————————————————————–
Disaster management safety tips
Most blazes in our informal settlements are caused by candles or paraffin stoves falling over. All possible practical steps should be taken to prevent fires from occurring or spreading.
These types of fires can be easily prevented by cutting candles in half. It is less likely to fall over if it is shorter.
Another easy tip is to put a handful of dry sand in the base of candle holders to keep it stable.
In the case of paraffin stoves people should place these stoves on a bed of sand within a container such as an old tin drum. - Cape Argus
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Thousands left homeless after fire in Langa
About 4 000 people were left homeless and 800 shacks destroyed as a fire ripped through the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa early on Thursday.
Firefighters took about two hours to bring the blaze in Zone 30 under control.
There were no reported injuries to residents, but a fireman was taken to hospital with a back injury after desperate residents, wanting him to help, dragged him from the top of his fire truck.
The fire broke out at 1.45am
The blaze comes almost exactly a year since a huge fire devastated Joe Slovo, razing 4 000 homes and leaving 12 000 people destitute.
Earlier this week the Cape Argus reported that the large number of devastating fires in informal settlements has forced an increase of almost R5-million in the Western Cape department of social services budget for disasters for this financial year.
And a statement by the City of Cape Town revealed that there were nearly 2 000 fires in informal settlements last year, leaving about 28 000 people homeless.
When the Joe Slovo fire broke out at about 1.45am, 16 fire engines were dispatched and the Disaster Risk Management Centre sent emergency response teams to assist and provide medical care, crowd control and law enforcement.
Fire crews rushed from as far afield as Strand, Milnerton, Sea Point and Ottery.
The cause of the fire is still unknown
This morning they were still damping down hotspots.
Firefighting crews had to abandon a mountain fire in Red Hill above Simon's Town to assist in Joe Slovo.
Electricity supply to the Joe Slovo area was disconnected to prevent explosions and further spread of the fire.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but victims gathering their belongings early on Thursday blamed drunken shack dwellers who try to prepare food or leave candles burning late at night.
Wilfred Solomons, disaster risk management co-ordinator, said the fire had been fanned by a strong south-easter. He said blankets, clothing and meals would continue to be provided for the next three days until the homeless were resettled.
The Langa Civic Centre has been put on standby to accommodate the victims.
This morning the city's human settlement services started registering those affected by the blaze.
The Disaster Risk Management Centre has arranged for recovery and clearing of the site.
Frequent fires have exhausted provincial funds for disasters. Last week alone, 95 shacks burnt down in Masiphumelele, leaving 120 families homeless. More than 300 shacks were razed in Khayelitsha.
On Tuesday one person died in a fire in an informal settlement in Kuils River that destroyed about one hundred dwellings.
The head of social services and poverty alleviation, Virginia Petersen, said the department had originally earmarked slightly more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million.
Early on Thursday, despondent Joe Slovo residents were sifting through the debris for belongings.
Bongani Msindo, who has endured three big fires in the settlement, said: "We live here expecting huge fires. It has become a way of life."
He sat on a heap of belongings he had saved before fire engulfed his home.
Nosipho Bulabula, who ran the Little Flower Daycare facility, where she looked after 45 children while their parents worked, said she had lost everything.
"I'm devastated - my children have nowhere to go, their parents can't go to work and earn money," she said.
Simphiwe Xako, spokesperson for the Western Cape MEC for social services, Koleka Mqulwana, said residents left destitute would be given blankets and food, temporary shelter and counseling. - Cape Argus
Firefighters took about two hours to bring the blaze in Zone 30 under control.
There were no reported injuries to residents, but a fireman was taken to hospital with a back injury after desperate residents, wanting him to help, dragged him from the top of his fire truck.
The fire broke out at 1.45am
The blaze comes almost exactly a year since a huge fire devastated Joe Slovo, razing 4 000 homes and leaving 12 000 people destitute.
Earlier this week the Cape Argus reported that the large number of devastating fires in informal settlements has forced an increase of almost R5-million in the Western Cape department of social services budget for disasters for this financial year.
And a statement by the City of Cape Town revealed that there were nearly 2 000 fires in informal settlements last year, leaving about 28 000 people homeless.
When the Joe Slovo fire broke out at about 1.45am, 16 fire engines were dispatched and the Disaster Risk Management Centre sent emergency response teams to assist and provide medical care, crowd control and law enforcement.
Fire crews rushed from as far afield as Strand, Milnerton, Sea Point and Ottery.
The cause of the fire is still unknown
This morning they were still damping down hotspots.
Firefighting crews had to abandon a mountain fire in Red Hill above Simon's Town to assist in Joe Slovo.
Electricity supply to the Joe Slovo area was disconnected to prevent explosions and further spread of the fire.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but victims gathering their belongings early on Thursday blamed drunken shack dwellers who try to prepare food or leave candles burning late at night.
Wilfred Solomons, disaster risk management co-ordinator, said the fire had been fanned by a strong south-easter. He said blankets, clothing and meals would continue to be provided for the next three days until the homeless were resettled.
The Langa Civic Centre has been put on standby to accommodate the victims.
This morning the city's human settlement services started registering those affected by the blaze.
The Disaster Risk Management Centre has arranged for recovery and clearing of the site.
Frequent fires have exhausted provincial funds for disasters. Last week alone, 95 shacks burnt down in Masiphumelele, leaving 120 families homeless. More than 300 shacks were razed in Khayelitsha.
On Tuesday one person died in a fire in an informal settlement in Kuils River that destroyed about one hundred dwellings.
The head of social services and poverty alleviation, Virginia Petersen, said the department had originally earmarked slightly more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million.
Early on Thursday, despondent Joe Slovo residents were sifting through the debris for belongings.
Bongani Msindo, who has endured three big fires in the settlement, said: "We live here expecting huge fires. It has become a way of life."
He sat on a heap of belongings he had saved before fire engulfed his home.
Nosipho Bulabula, who ran the Little Flower Daycare facility, where she looked after 45 children while their parents worked, said she had lost everything.
"I'm devastated - my children have nowhere to go, their parents can't go to work and earn money," she said.
Simphiwe Xako, spokesperson for the Western Cape MEC for social services, Koleka Mqulwana, said residents left destitute would be given blankets and food, temporary shelter and counseling. - Cape Argus
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Shack fires cost Cape millions
The large number of devastating fires in informal settlements has forced an increase of almost R5-million in the Western Cape social services budget for disasters this financial year.
A statement by the City of Cape Town indicates that there were nearly 2 000 fires in informal settlements last year. More than 8 000 homes had already been destroyed by December 13 and about 28 000 people had been left destitute.
Last week alone 95 shacks burnt down in Masiphumelele, displacing about 120 families, and more than 300 shacks were razed in Khayelitsha.
Earmarked more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million
And on Tuesday one person died in a fire in an informal settlement in Kuils River. Police spokesperson Randall Stoffels said about 100 dwellings were destroyed.
The head of social services and poverty alleviation, Virginia Petersen, said the department had originally earmarked slightly more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million.
"It is more than we anticipated," she said.
"You can never plan 100 percent for disasters, but within government there is a process of constantly adjusting the budget for disasters to accommodate it as it happens.
"This year we had to make adjustments because of the number of fires experienced and the number of people affected. It started with the Joe Slovo fire disaster in Langa earlier in the year."
'You can never plan 100 percent for disasters'
Increases in the budget had been needed for the 2004 and 2005 financial years.
"The trend started in March 2004, when the budget was adjusted by R4-million after a huge fire in Hout Bay, followed by a number of smaller fires," she said.
Emergency food relief and blankets are distributed by the Department of Social Services after each fire via agencies such as the Red Cross.
The national disaster fund provides R500 to each affected family, while local authorities distribute starter packs consisting of building materials for families to start rebuilding their houses.
Each local authority tried to order starter packs well ahead of the time, so the councils would be prepared, Petersen said. Usually families are fed for up to five days and rehoused in alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.
Petersen explained that the department was extremely busy between December 15 and January 15, when the outbreak of fires in informal settlement fires reached its peak.
"We find that irresponsible behaviour over the festive season, as well as alcohol use, exacerbated by windy conditions, fuels fires," she said.
The MEC for social services and poverty alleviation, Koleka Mqulwana, said the owners of some of the burnt-out shacks were at present away visiting relatives in the Eastern Cape.
"It is a very unfortunate situation, but our field workers are on the ground compiling audits," Mqulwana said.
"Members of the community who know their neighbours register them for social relief."
A long-term approach was needed, she said.
"We need to provide people with houses, because in the summer people are confronted by fires, while in winter they must contend with floods."
Veld fires fuelled by a strong south-easter have also damaged vast tracts of natural vegetation in the province during the dry summer season. - Cape Argus
A statement by the City of Cape Town indicates that there were nearly 2 000 fires in informal settlements last year. More than 8 000 homes had already been destroyed by December 13 and about 28 000 people had been left destitute.
Last week alone 95 shacks burnt down in Masiphumelele, displacing about 120 families, and more than 300 shacks were razed in Khayelitsha.
Earmarked more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million
And on Tuesday one person died in a fire in an informal settlement in Kuils River. Police spokesperson Randall Stoffels said about 100 dwellings were destroyed.
The head of social services and poverty alleviation, Virginia Petersen, said the department had originally earmarked slightly more than R7-million for disasters but had already spent R12-million.
"It is more than we anticipated," she said.
"You can never plan 100 percent for disasters, but within government there is a process of constantly adjusting the budget for disasters to accommodate it as it happens.
"This year we had to make adjustments because of the number of fires experienced and the number of people affected. It started with the Joe Slovo fire disaster in Langa earlier in the year."
'You can never plan 100 percent for disasters'
Increases in the budget had been needed for the 2004 and 2005 financial years.
"The trend started in March 2004, when the budget was adjusted by R4-million after a huge fire in Hout Bay, followed by a number of smaller fires," she said.
Emergency food relief and blankets are distributed by the Department of Social Services after each fire via agencies such as the Red Cross.
The national disaster fund provides R500 to each affected family, while local authorities distribute starter packs consisting of building materials for families to start rebuilding their houses.
Each local authority tried to order starter packs well ahead of the time, so the councils would be prepared, Petersen said. Usually families are fed for up to five days and rehoused in alternative accommodation as quickly as possible.
Petersen explained that the department was extremely busy between December 15 and January 15, when the outbreak of fires in informal settlement fires reached its peak.
"We find that irresponsible behaviour over the festive season, as well as alcohol use, exacerbated by windy conditions, fuels fires," she said.
The MEC for social services and poverty alleviation, Koleka Mqulwana, said the owners of some of the burnt-out shacks were at present away visiting relatives in the Eastern Cape.
"It is a very unfortunate situation, but our field workers are on the ground compiling audits," Mqulwana said.
"Members of the community who know their neighbours register them for social relief."
A long-term approach was needed, she said.
"We need to provide people with houses, because in the summer people are confronted by fires, while in winter they must contend with floods."
Veld fires fuelled by a strong south-easter have also damaged vast tracts of natural vegetation in the province during the dry summer season. - Cape Argus
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