Residents and businesses of the Rumsig suburb in Mogale City are living in distress due to the abandoned and deteriorating Pikoko informal settlement, which is adjacent to their properties. The informal settlement has encroached on privately owned land. There are illegal electricity connections and rampant waste dumping, creating serious health and safety hazards for residents of the informal settlement and those residing in adjacent properties.
This dire situation was uncovered during an oversight inspection led by a DA delegation comprising the DA Shadow MEC for Human Settlements, Mervyn Cirota MPL; Member of the Home Affairs Committee, Adrian Roos MP; Member of the Environment Portfolio, Jade Miller MPL; and DA Ward Councillor, Jean Kotze.
A walkabout at the informal settlement revealed that residents are living in squalor, with severe overcrowding and no access to proper sanitation, refuse removal, electricity, or an uninterrupted water supply. The area poses a serious health risk, with piles of waste accumulating and a foul odour lingering in the air. There are also allegations by the residents of the area that 40% of the occupiers of this informal settlement are undocumented foreigners.
See photos here, here, here, here, here, and here.
The impact of this informal settlement is severe; residents in adjacent houses and the nearby golf course are directly affected. The owner of the golf estate lamented that a portion of their land had been encroached upon, while another raised concerns that the informal settlement was severely affecting the environment and property values.
As with many other informal settlements in Gauteng, the failure by the relevant municipalities and provincial authorities to address illegal land invasions and deteriorating health conditions has a continuing and long-term negative effect on the environment for all who live in and near the informal settlements.
Moreover, the informal settlement encroachment on a wetland calls for an immediate environmental assessment study to determine if any interventions are necessary.
The DA will table questions demanding clarity on who is responsible for this informal settlement and will hold them to account for the failure to formalise services and halt further encroachment. There is an urgent need for the Department of Home Affairs to conduct an on-site inspection to determine how many undocumented foreign nationals are living in Pikoko informal settlement.
Restoring dignity to individuals living in informal settlements can be achieved by fast-tracking the provision of permanent housing through the formalisation of the informal settlement with the necessary upgrading and appropriate services. This is precisely what a DA-led Provincial Government would deliver. Yes, it can be done!