Special festive season gift for homeless families

03 December 2015

 

More than 100 Soweto families received a special festive season present yesterday (Tuesday December 1) when the City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing, Councillor Dan Bovu, handed them keys to their new fully subsidised freehold title homes at Elias Motsoaledi Extension 1.

 

Their celebratory mood was, however, nearly spoilt when a group of people wearing Economic Freedom Party (EFF) T-shirts stormed the hall while MMC Bovu was giving a speech, disrupting the proceedings.

One of the protestors threateningly pointed a knobkierie at MMC Bovu, who seemed unfazed by the surprise attack. Several people were injured when a clash broke out between the group and a section of the crowd. Calm and normality were restored a few moments later when police arrived to deal with the situation. Despite the attack, MMC Bovu was in a conciliatory mood, urging the protestors to come forward and discuss their grievances with the City.

“We will give them space to [air their grievances]. They are our children; we will assist them,” he said.

The establishment of the township – named after ANC veteran Elias Motsoaledi, who was jailed on Robben Island for pursuing the objectives of the organisation – was approved in 2010. The settlement will yield a total of 1 424 RDP units when the construction process is completed. One of the residents who moved into their new houses yesterday was Francinah Maleke, who recently celebrated her 88th birthday.

“How long have I been struggling living in a shack? God has answered my prayers. I am very thankful,” she said.

The relocation and allocation process has, however, not been without problems.

MMC Bovu expressed disappointment at the apparent failure of the task team appointed to facilitate the process to manage it, forcing him to postpone his holiday to deal with the situation.

“There is no problem without a solution. I was supposed to finish work on December 9 but I will have to postpone my holiday so as to deal with this matter once and for all,” he said.