Grime-streaked toddlers run past a forlorn "no dumping" sign as other members of their tent community try to bring some semblance of normality to daily life.
Yet a long road lies ahead before any normality will return for the 98 families which have been dumped at a dusty piece of council land in Joyce Road, and who are now at the centre of a political and social spat that could have major ramifications for the city.
While irate Sea Cow Lake residents and local councillor Preeth Ramchuran are preparing to lock horns over the displaced people at a ratepayers' association meeting tonight (Tuesday), the more than 300 people who now live under council provided tents are hatching desperate plans to find alternate housing.
Evicted from a piece of private property within the Peter Road informal settlement last Tuesday, the residents marched to a local municipal office where they demanded action from the council.
Faced with a "humanitarian crisis", Ramchuran suggested that the city erect a series of tents on a vacant piece of land just across the N2 in Joyce Road.
His decision and subsequent backing from city manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe has sparked outrage from the Democratic Alliance and Bakerville Ratepayers' Association, who have warned that the city is setting a dangerous precedent.
DA chief whip Colin Gaillard lamented the fact that Sutcliffe and Ramchuran had authorised the tented community to be erected, while association chairperson Robin Lalla lashed out at council for allowing people to live in squalid conditions.
Set on a tiny piece of land near the busy freeway, the site has no water or electricity connections, while children play among the broken furniture and wooden stacking palates that lie scattered among the tents.
According to resident Bernard Makhoba, the situation has reached critical proportions.
"We had been living on that land for 17 years when they came and bulldozed us. My uncle was in a shack that caught alight and died, but no one wants to listen to us. The children are now getting sick; we have no water, and many people believe they were living better when they were in shacks," Makhoba said.
While conscious of the humanitarian implications, Gaillard said council was treading on dangerous ground by intervening in what was essentially a private land eviction.
"One would understand if the council was going to develop this site for housing, but where do we now draw the line? What the people are living in now is even worse than shacks.
The council should have rather used its muscle to assist the people to stay the eviction than create another informal settlement," Gaillard said.
Ramchuran, however, said efforts to stay the eviction were fruitless, and confirmed that he was helping residents launch an appeal against the eviction.
"On the one hand the residents don't want the shack dwellers there. But this is a temporary situation which I believe is better than having them just gate-crash anywhere in the area," Ramchuran said.
Sutcliffe said the situation would definitely not be permanent.
"We are trying to deal with a difficult situation in the most practical way," he said. - Daily News
Yet a long road lies ahead before any normality will return for the 98 families which have been dumped at a dusty piece of council land in Joyce Road, and who are now at the centre of a political and social spat that could have major ramifications for the city.
While irate Sea Cow Lake residents and local councillor Preeth Ramchuran are preparing to lock horns over the displaced people at a ratepayers' association meeting tonight (Tuesday), the more than 300 people who now live under council provided tents are hatching desperate plans to find alternate housing.
| 'many people believe they were living better when they were in shacks' |
Faced with a "humanitarian crisis", Ramchuran suggested that the city erect a series of tents on a vacant piece of land just across the N2 in Joyce Road.
His decision and subsequent backing from city manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe has sparked outrage from the Democratic Alliance and Bakerville Ratepayers' Association, who have warned that the city is setting a dangerous precedent.
DA chief whip Colin Gaillard lamented the fact that Sutcliffe and Ramchuran had authorised the tented community to be erected, while association chairperson Robin Lalla lashed out at council for allowing people to live in squalid conditions.
Set on a tiny piece of land near the busy freeway, the site has no water or electricity connections, while children play among the broken furniture and wooden stacking palates that lie scattered among the tents.
According to resident Bernard Makhoba, the situation has reached critical proportions.
"We had been living on that land for 17 years when they came and bulldozed us. My uncle was in a shack that caught alight and died, but no one wants to listen to us. The children are now getting sick; we have no water, and many people believe they were living better when they were in shacks," Makhoba said.
While conscious of the humanitarian implications, Gaillard said council was treading on dangerous ground by intervening in what was essentially a private land eviction.
"One would understand if the council was going to develop this site for housing, but where do we now draw the line? What the people are living in now is even worse than shacks.
The council should have rather used its muscle to assist the people to stay the eviction than create another informal settlement," Gaillard said.
Ramchuran, however, said efforts to stay the eviction were fruitless, and confirmed that he was helping residents launch an appeal against the eviction.
"On the one hand the residents don't want the shack dwellers there. But this is a temporary situation which I believe is better than having them just gate-crash anywhere in the area," Ramchuran said.
Sutcliffe said the situation would definitely not be permanent.
"We are trying to deal with a difficult situation in the most practical way," he said. - Daily News
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