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Fire-ravaged Mandela Village community housed in death traps

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Dear MyPE

The residents of Mandela Village in KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth have not only lost all their earthly belongings after their shacks were razed to the ground, but now also fear for their lives in temporary shanty death traps.

In September of this year close to 80 people were left without roofs over their heads after a fire gutted Mandela Village.

In response to this disaster the Eastern Cape Provincial Government forked out more than R1,6 million to provide temporary housing for the affected residents.

Yesterday, 4 November 2020, I was joined by Nelson Mandela Bay DA councillors in conducting an oversight inspection at the site of these temporary structures. (see pictures here, here and here)

We were shocked to find that the 26 structures, procured by the Metro at a staggering R64 000 per structure, can only be described as death traps.

Some of the issues that were highlighted include:

  • Extremely poor craftsmanship.
  • Structures have only been up for a few weeks but already have extensive water damage.
  • Structures have a 2 cm gap between the walls and floorboards. The wind and rain seeps through causing very cold and damp conditions.
  • Gaps between the floorboards cause structures to be unstable and on the verge of collapse.
  • Some structures have support beams that do not align correctly, causing the structures to wobble.
  • Holes in roofs lead to massive leaks when it rains.
  • Hinges have been incorrectly installed and doors do not close properly.
  • There is no access to water and sanitation.

DA NMB Spokesperson for Human Settlements, Cllr Mxolisi Breakfast, will now submit questions to the NMB Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements to get feedback on close to R2 million wasted on inferior structures.

DA EC Shadow MEC for Human Settlements, Sanele Magaqa, MPL, will also table questions in the Provincial Legislature to ascertain how the contract for the provision of these temporary structures was executed, whether the department is aware of the poor quality of the structures, and what the department will do to rectify this situation and prevent a repeat thereof.

The DA will not allow the uncaring ANC government to ruin the lives of the people of Mandela Village – we will fight to better their lives and to fix this mess in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Together we can move Nelson Mandela Bay forward again.

Regards

Yusuf Cassim, MPL
Ngqura Constituency Leader

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Port Elizabethan

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