The City of Tshwane will start the process of formalising the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve in July, Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya says.
“Residents of Marry Me, starting from July 2025, we will start with formalisation here. In the next few months we will be looking for beneficiaries. Remember that there were some given stands here, make sure that when we come here we find you in your shack, don't give it to illegal foreigners. When you are formalised the services will follow you. What we will do for now is to make sure that there is a high mast solar light here,” Moya said.
She said for safety, the Tshwane metro police department will work with the police and be visible in the settlement.
On Wednesday, the Gauteng provincial government held a community imbizo after patrollers were attacked and killed early on Saturday morning.
However, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi asked that aspects of the imbizo be postponed to next Tuesday after a storm hit the area.
The attack, which stemmed from an alleged altercation between community patrollers and a group of attackers on Saturday, initially left four people fatally shot and partially burnt. The death toll now stands at six, with some people still in hospital.
According to community members, the informal settlement was established in September 2012 and populated by young men and women from around Soshanguve.
“It was youth and we wanted them to make families,” a community member said.
With no service delivery, the community relies on illegal electricity and water connections, and pit and mobile toilets that get serviced once in a while.
Residents said despite the services being illegal, they are charged R300 for water and electricity by a group of people who collect the money monthly.
The influx of illegal foreigners, high crime rate, high unemployment and no service delivery were some of the issues raised by residents who managed to speak before the imbizo was postponed.
Resident Rose Molefe said her biggest concern is the influx of illegal foreigners.
I don't know if where I am going will be safe or not, I am asking for protection.
— Dolly Masubelele, resident
“They don't have ID, they stay for free, they also don't pay tax. This is what bothers me about them. They are finishing our medication in the clinic. We can't sleep, we always pray to wake up safe, and our children are living in fear,” she said.
An angry resident, who did not want to be named, said there were fewer South Africans than foreigners living in the settlement.
“This place is full of foreigners,” he said.
Reacting to the Saturday incident he said it was painful.
“You cannot replace a person, our government wants to act when a person has died. Criminals are assisted by our police. Those who were patrolling were helping but our police are getting paid, why couldn't they patrol?” he said.
People were being mugged while walking to the train station.
Dolly Masubelele, who has been a victim of crime, said she feared for her life and pleaded for protection.
“I come here to ask our premier for protection, because where I am, I live in fear. I don't know if where I am going will be safe or not,” she said.
“South African police are failing us, Soshanguve police are failing us. We open cases and they vanish in court — in court they bribe. I fear for my life. I have a case open for attempted murder and robbery but I haven't been helped. The person I opened the case against has been released and did not even go to court.”
Another community member expressed his frustration.
“Whenever there is a problem you wait for the situation to escalate. There are many youths who are not working,” he said.
Maria Malukana, the mother of one of the victims of the attack who is still in ICU, Nthabiseng Malukana, said residents like those who had died or been injured should have been moved to extensions long ago.
“Now they are dead. Some are in hospitals while they were supposed to be in houses. I blame the department of housing and our councillor. There are a lot of people who don't have shacks and are squatting with parents but foreigners have shacks,” she said.
She asked that the victims of the attack and their families be the first to receive stands.
Another victim of crime said: “My husband was shot last year in February and was in hospital until September. To this day the (Soshanguve) police have failed to arrest the person who shot him and the guy was well known from Soshanguve.”
The imbizo was disrupted by heavy rain.
The community members agreed to come back next week to continue the discussions.
TimesLIVE
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