GEORGE NEWS - Some residents of the informal settlement, Mandela Village, who erected structures against the advice of the municipality, might regret their actions. The recent heavy rains in George have confirmed the fears of many who believed that Mandela Village, which is popularly known as Gushi Ndoda (she who hides men), was built on dangerous ground.
The area, which emerged slowly in 2017, has been characterised by illegal land invasions, evictions and numerous violent strike actions. Despite these factors, residents have continued to build shacks, increasing their numbers and building at All Bricks, a quarry which used to be a site for a brick manufacturer, in Zone 7.
The George Municipality at the time warned residents of the dangers of building shacks in the area as it is not suitable for human settlement. The municipality tried many times to stop people from building, to a point of getting eviction orders.
These attempts were met by violent protests, leading to the municipality stopping the evictions. Yet, the people continued building shacks. The municipality was confronted by another battle during the course of this year, with several service delivery protests in the area.
The people demanded basic services, such as electricity and sanitation, forcing the municipality to allocate a budget for the installation of electricity and other services.
It seemed at the time that the people won round number two of the battle.
The rain has left this road, at the entrance of Mandela Village, practically unpassable. Photos: Zolani Sinxo
Water in front of a shack.
And they may have won the battle, but the war is far from over. They now face a challenge humans can not fight - rain. The past week's heavy rains caused a lot of destruction in Mandela Village with water flooding the shacks, forcing some to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. The rain turned the road into mud, making it difficult to walk in the streets and for cars to drive in and out of the area.
A female resident who didn't want to be named, said life in Gushi Ndonda is not as easy as they have anticipated. "We are now faced with far more difficult conditions," she said. "When nature calls we have to relieve ourselves in the bushes and share this space with men too. We are even more afraid when it's dark as we don't know what will happen to us. Access to water is another problem. We share one tap with more than 20 households - imagine when it's raining and you're standing in a long queue."
But, she said, they have no choice but to soldier on and hope for the best. They desperately need a place to stay.
Buckets waiting to be filled for household use.
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