Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Sub-Region 5 members marched to the City of Tshwane Municipality headquarters (Tshwane House) on Thursday to demand RDP houses for the residents of Mamelodi as well as a database that shows who the rightful beneficiaries of the Pienaarspoort Extension 15 relocation process are.
According to EFF Sub-Region 5 activist Bongani Ramontja there is plus minus 25 000 people who must be relocated to permanent stands, yet the City of Tshwane has indicated that it will relocate only 5 200 people.
“We’ve got more than eighteen squatter camps in Mamelodi, there are more than 10 000 people who registered for houses on Form C in 1996, we have backroom dwellers who still stay with their mothers and uncles in one room,” said Ramontja.
“We thought there would be a database that would be open to the community at large to show as to who the rightful beneficiaries of the Pienaarspoort relocation process are, but unfortunately there is no such and we had a meeting with MMC for Human Settlements and we were told that the database won’t be revealed to us due to the Protection of Personal Information Popi (Popi) Act,” he said.
“We have written petitions to the City of Tshwane Municipality and so far, three of our emails have not been responded to and today we are marching to demand a proper relocation process, transparency and honesty regarding the rightful beneficiaries of the Pienaarspoort Extension 15 relocation process,” he said.
Ramontja revealed that City of Tshwane Human Settlements official Chipu has admitted that there is an official who has been suspended for illegally selling stands but what is surprising is that the said officials is still on duty.
“If you say an official has been suspended that means there is corruption and a criminal case must be opened against the said official,” he said.
EFF activist Sub region 5 Bongani King Ramontja address the protesters
He said corrupt City of Tshwane officials sell stands for R20 000 and that means those who don’t have this amount won’t get stands.
He said if the City of Tshwane will fail to relocate residents within 14 days, then they will see a repeat of the 1985 Mamelodi Massacre.
“As Mamelodians we are standing up in a unified voice and are going to fight until we are relocated because we deserve the stands that have been allocated by the City of Tshwane,” said Ramontja.
He raised concern about the fact that the relocation process entails taking people from one informal settlement to another.
“Be that as it may we want basic services like water, electricity and sanitation at the new settlements that our people have been relocated to,” he said.
“There is a vacuum of leadership in the City of Tshwane, and we are therefore manifesting ourselves to become the leadership that will solve the crisis affecting the people of Mamelodi,” enthused Ramontja.
Ramontja and the EFF members were joined by concerned Mamelodi residents who have been overlooked regarding the relocation process.
MMC for Utility Frans Boshielo sign the memorandum
Their memorandum was received by MMC for utility Frans Boshielo and Councillor Annanias Mogalusi.
MMC for utility Frans Boshielo told the protesters that he will respond to their memorandum in 14 days and apologies on behalf of MMC Aron Maluleke of human settlement who was absent.
Copy of the memorandum: