www.MyPE.co.za: Seven families whose homes were ravaged by a fire in Korsten recently were given temporary housing structures by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality today, meaning they will spend Christmas in safe temporary homes.
Eastern Cape Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mr Christian Martin, Housing Committee Whip, Cllr Luthando Mtyapa, and Ward 11 Cllr, Cllr Isaac Adams were present to witness the families receiving their temporary homes.
The temporary houses form part of a relief initiative for the seven families whose informal houses burnt down recently. The completion brings the total number of temporary units built in the Bay by the Provincial Department of Human Settlements, in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to 123 out of 140 allocated for the region.
An additional 17 will be built in March to reach the total of 140 allocated and bring much needed relief to struggling families.
The structures are meant to accommodate people while their houses are being rectified, are used for relief after disasters, and as temporary accommodation in informal settlements when there are in-situ/brownfield developments. Most structures under Rectification were built in Sakkiesdorp in Despatch, where we have 30 of these temporary units. They have also been used in Korsten to accommodate beneficiaries of the Zosa Development temporarily until the project is complete. The informal settlements where the structures have been used include Silvertown in New Brighton and Walmer among others.
Meanwhile, construction work has resumed in Zosa Street to complete the housing development started by the Municipality since dilapidated structures built during the apartheid era were demolished earlier in the year.
The construction of the 20 houses for Phase One are at an advanced stage and work on the remaining 14 will start soon after these are completed tentatively in the first quarter of 2011.
Editors Notes: The shocking state of the Zosa Street settlement was brought to the attention of the municipality in 2002. In 2005 Councillor Terry Herbst received a report from senior Metro environmental health practitioner Malcolm Classen, which included the following comment: “From an environmental health point of view, the conditions under which the Zosa Street community are living in are bad and terrible, totally not conducive to a healthy life-style.”
Lest the ‘Zosa Street issue’ be lost in the mists of time we would like to bring to your attention the following articles and letters published on MyPE below:
- 29 February 2008 – Comment Please Mr. Williams (There has been No Comment forthcoming)
- 28 July 2010 – Petrol bombing mires Zosa Street progress event.
- 30 July 2010 – The Zosa Street ‘ISSUE’.
It is our opinion that to create the impression that this is a legacy of apartheid that has ‘just been discovered’ is in incredibly poor taste and smacks of dated struggle party electioneering.
By the way I have ‘just discovered’ that the bucket system is still in widespread use after promise after promise and the passing of deadline after deadline to have the bucket system eradicated – quick let’s blame it on someone else!
When the chips are down and there is no-one else to blame but yourself, MAN UP, APOLOGISE and FIX IT.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Contacts (Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch).
NMB Communications
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