UNHYGIENIC: Children from Zone 10 in Komga spend most days wading through the mud between the pre-fab houses where residents are complaining of being forgotten about. Pictures: MARK ANDREWS
IRATE residents of a Komga community claim Amathole District Municipality (ADM) failed to build them houses despite promising before they were moved to temporary structures.
The former farm workers said they received the piece of land in Zone 10 in 1995 and it was only in 2008 that the municipality started making plans to build them houses.
The more than 200 people said they were moved to 50 temporary structures last year and were told it would take just six months to build the community permanent houses.
A community committee member, Nobonke Tunyara, said the temporary structures were now starting to crumble and show cracks.
She also alleged that people were getting sick because of the cold and smoke from the fire.
“There are no gutters in the roofs. When it rains all the water gets trapped in the space between our houses making this place muddy and smelly,” she said.
Tunyara said they did not have basic necessities such as running water and electricity and were forced to use paraffin stoves or make fires outside on hot days.
COLD: A resident from Zone 10 in Komga where pre-fab houses meant to be used for six months only seem to have become permanent housing for this community of 200 plus
When the Daily Dispatch visited the area yesterday, cracks in the floors, roofs and walls of the prefabricated houses could be seen.
Between the structures, which are close to one another, there were little ponds and mud. Two water tanks are provided for the more than 200 residents and there are only five outside toilets for all to use.
One resident, Nokuphumla Mbini, who suffers from asthma, said since moving to the prefabricated structures, she had to buy a generator to operate her Nebysol machine.
Nebysol is a compressor equipped with a nebuliser for administrating aerosol therapy.
“Since I moved to this house my condition has worsened. This place is damp and muddy. I am always cold,” she said.
Another resident, Thandi Lento, claimed her 62-year-old mother’s condition has also deteriorated since moving into their house.
ADM municipal manager Chris Magwangqana said they were finalising paper work with beneficiaries and would then proceed to submit a housing application.
“Great Kei Municipality is expected to submit a housing application to the provincial department of housing,” Magwangqana said.
Provincial human settlements spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said the municipality should notify the department on the damages of temporary shelters for them to notify the contractor to fix the problems.
“The district municipality is still busy installing services there and only when the installation of services is complete, then can we proceed with housing development plans,” he said. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za
Nkosikhona Balarana
February 1, 2013
Thanks to Daily Dispatch for exposing our Municipality, I’m a Great Kie citizen and live in Komga. It is worrying me to here fellow Komganian crying everyday for service delivery but no one cares enough to listen. I sometimes think that the word Municipality is just what it is, a Word. There is little being done to our towns and locations. All they(municipality) do is to initiate project that only last for 2-3 months and then stop due to municipality running out of funds.
We have our oldest locations such as Nomngxeki, kwaSithi and Zone 10 go there you’ll find people still leaving in mud house, no street lights and no proper streets.
We call on our leaders, the rulling party and its governmnt to visit there arear and see themselves the conditions that we leave under.
Thanks
Gaz
March 31, 2013
Fact is,all lies all evil deeds they stinks,you can try to cover them up for a while bt they dnt go away.The munipality we have is just a Monument and school to learn how to be corrupt,people lose patience and guess what happens Riots