Residents living in Langa’s Joe Slovo say they feel neglected by authorities.
A fire destroyed 50 shacks in the area on Friday August 17, leaving 200 people displaced and claiming the life of one person.
This added to the misery of the residents who say not much progress has been made in the area.
One angry man who only identified himself only as Zamile, said he was tired of promises from politicians. “When they come here I am going to tell them in their faces that we need houses.
“They neglect informal settlements only to come when there is a problem.
“This is not on. I lost everything in this fire,” he said.
He slammed politicians for only coming to the informal settlements when elections are near. “You will start seeing them from January next year. They will be all over the place likes flies on a dead animal. I am tired of them,” he said.
Another angry resident accused the media of not reporting on their plight but only coming there when there is tragedy.
“I am not giving you my name but tell those politicians that we need houses. It is about time that they develop this area. If not, we must not vote come the next elections,” he said.
Residents, many of whom are senior citizens, are hoping for a range of issues to be addressed, from a lack of roads and their poor living conditions, to the desperate need for ablutions and running water.
Residents tried to combat the fire last week with buckets of water, but the flames were too high.
By the time firefighters arrived the damage had been done.The cause of the fire is still unknown. Ward 52 councillor Samkelo John said there are development plans for the area but the challenge is that most people do not want to move to temporary locations so that building can take place.
“They do not trust the temporary arrangement. That is the biggest challenge. But most of them were approved in 2010 and 2011 (for housing). But for houses to be built, residents need to move to holding areas so that the space can be available and then come back after the houses have been built. We urge them to adhere to those principles,” he said.
Edward Bosch, spokesperson for the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, said four fire engines, three water tankers and a rescue vehicle with 28 firefighters were dispatched to douse the fire.
“It took firefighters just less than an hour to bring the fire under control. One adult, gender unknown, was fatally wounded, whilst another adult male sustained burn wounds to the leg. The patient was treated and transported to hospital by ambulance. A firefighter also suffered smoke inhalation and was treated on-scene,” he said.