About 300 families who have been living at the Phomolong Informal Settlement in the Far East of Mamelodi have expressed happiness because the City of Tshwane has finally started relocating them to a new land in Pienaarspoort.
The relocation process started last month and is scheduled to be completed around 15/16 December this year.
63-year-old Elizabeth Makalela told Tshwane Talks that she had actually left Phomolong Informal Settlement area and was up to now living in the rural areas with her children, this as she had lost hope that the City of Tshwane would ever relocate her and her fellow informal settlement dwellers.
“I have been living at the Phomolong Informal Settlement for ten years and I even went into old age retirement while waiting for relocation, but I am happy now that finally we are being relocated to a safer area where we will live in permanent stands and have services like water and electricity,” said Makalela while explaining that she and her children were now living in the Limpopo Province to avoid the inhospitable conditions in Phomolong.
Another resident, Suzeka Mxakatho told Tshwane Talks that she was very happy to be relocated and that all along she had been unemployed but now she has found employment as an assistant in the relocation process and will be able to buy her children several goodies including Christmas season clothing while living in her own house.
She thanked Councillor Makola for having given her an opportunity to be employed in the community project.
Phomolong community leader Simon Motsa said he has also been employed with the help of Councillor Makola to assist in the relocation process.
“Many residents are happy that they are being relocated now, even though some of them waited for this moment for over 20 years now,” he said.
“In some cases, we find that people who are supposed to be relocated are not present in their households, and this means we have to come back to them at a later stage and explain to them that they are being relocated and that we are there to help them pack up and go,” he said.
He said the previous City of Tshwane administration led them down regarding relocation, but that he was happy that the new administration has been able to finally relocate the residents of Phomolong Informal Settlement.
“Our people have been waiting for relocation for a long time now and were actually fed-up about discussing it at meetings and each time I raised the issue of relocation at meetings they would shout me down and demand a straightforward answer regarding the exact date of their relocation from Phomolong,” said Ward 40 Councillor Makola.
“Since taking over as councillor I have managed to facilitate three relocation processes for residents in my ward, namely relocation of 100 families to Plot 123 near Baviaanspoort, rearrangement of dwelling for 18 families in Phomolong and now the relocation of 300 families to Pienaarspoort,” enthused Makola.
“The new City of Tshwane administration has worked hard to accelerate the relocation of our people, and I am happy that they are finally relocating,” he said.
He revealed that he had a challenge as some residents were refusing to relocate as they had been unduly influenced to refuse to vacate their present shelters.
“But I managed to convince them to relocate because they will be getting permanent stand and services from the municipality,” he said.
He assured residents that by 15 December this year the relocation process shall have been completed in Phomolong.
Makola pointed out that after the relocation process there will be empty spaces in Phomolong and that a decision shall then be taken at a later stage regarding what to do with the said empty spaces.
“I would like to advise the residents of Phomolong not to listen to fake community leaders who tell them not to relocate because as Councillor I am the only one who can speak with the power of the mandate by the community, and I am the “go-between” man in relations between the ward community members and the City of Tshwane.
“At Pienaarspoort relocated residents will live in comfort and renovate their houses according to their own wishes,” he said.