Residents of Bekkersdal informal settlement in Rand West continue to be exposed to unsanitary and terrible living conditions, while there are over 100 incomplete and abandoned houses in Borwa Urban Renewal Project.
It has been 15 years since the Bekkersdal informal settlement residents were promised dignified housing. However, the residents have now lost hope as the Borwa Urban Renewal Project is still incomplete and has been abandoned. See images here, and here.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) conducted an oversight inspection at the Bekkersdal informal settlement and were horrified by the appalling and inhumane living conditions in the area.
Please see photos here, and here.
The tar roads have deteriorated due to a lack of proper and regular maintenance, and there are multiple illegal electricity connections. Raw sewer is also flowing from people’s yards and all over the streets. The poor sewer infrastructure causes sewer swamps during the rainy season as the drain systems are blocked and not functioning properly. This poses a health and safety risk for the residents.
A migration plan to move Bekkersdal residents to Borwa was meant to be implemented four years ago, but to date, nothing has been done.
The residents of Bekkersdal and Borwa have not yet benefited from the R432 million initiative that was meant to improve their lives as part of the Bekkersdal and Borwa Renewal Project.
The DA demands that the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and COGTA, Lebogang Maile, to prioritise completing all the unfinished housing projects across the province. This will help to reduce the housing waiting list backlog, which has now exceeded over 1.2 million. MEC Maile must also ensure that there is proper project management of all the housing projects so that houses can be completed on time and within budget.
The DA requests the MEC Maile to do a forensic investigation to be conducted to ascertain how the R432 million allocated to Bekkersdal, and Borwa Renewal Project has been spent. We will also seek timelines as to when the Borwa housing project will be completed. We will also demand answers as to why the project has been abandoned, how much has been spent so far on the project and who are the rightful beneficiaries.
We will not allow the incompetency of MEC Maile’s department to deny our people their right to access dignified housing.