Lindelani informal settlement residents protest re-blocking

Residents of Lindelani informal settlement in Benoni protested against efforts by the City of Ekurhuleni to continue re-blocking their settlement on Wednesday .

Re-blocking involves authorities reconfiguring overcrowded and disorganised informal settlements to improve living conditions by organising shacks into clusters and creating space for basic infrastructure such as roads.

The re-blocking project was scheduled to start on Monday but protests erupted on Wednesday, disrupting the process. Rocks were thrown at one of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) vehicles.

Ward councillor Sipho Samuel Ngobese said the re-blocking initiative aimed to improve the informal settlement and enable the delivery of essential services such as water, electricity and proper infrastructure.

“We are trying to provide the community with proper water, electricity and sanitation, but for them to not want to be re-blocked is holding us back,” he said.

However, a member of the community policing forum, Kenneth Dlamini, told TimesLIVE that residents have lived without water and electricity for almost 26 years and there has been no proper communication from the councillor to them.

“The people do not want to be removed from their stands. They only want electricity and water. The councillor did not address the community about the re-blocking of the stands, it was only the MMC who was addressing the community about service delivery issues”, he said.

According to Ngobese, the re-blocking project is on phase 2 of action.

“The project is on 50% completion, and we planned to complete it by the end of our financial year,” he said. He said 1,200 shacks have been re-blocked, out of 2,500.

Ngobese said delivery of electricity was delayed due to illegal connections which posed serious safety risks, especially in crowded areas.

“The illegal connections are not safe with shacks close to one another, that is why re-blocking will also help the community members with open spaces and safety.

“I am following proper government policy to deliver services to the people so that the informal settlements have proper, upgraded infrastructure. The community must try to understand how re-blocking will benefit them” he added.

It was reported on TimesLIVE that human settlements minister Thembi Simelane urged all provinces to prioritise housing projects that were not complete.

“The department plans to upgrade just over 4,000 informal settlements during the course of the 2024-29 medium-term development plan”, she said.

TimesLIVE