She said she had applied for an RDP house in the 1980s and had received a letter telling her she would get a house. “It’s close to 30 years now and I am still waiting for that house,” she said.
“In 2016, I went to check again and my name was on the system. They never told me when and where my house will be available. Living in this tin is a pain. Even most of my children have passed away now. I raised them in this house. I am left with a son who is renting a shack himself. I just wish, before I die, I can leave him in a proper house,” said Mrawuli.
Ntozinana Piyose, her neighbour, is 85. “I have also lived in this one room for many years. I cannot even recall when exactly. We have changed several councillors in this ward, but we never got houses. Even children young enough to be my grandchildren have RDP houses in New Life and Reeston, but we are never lucky and we don’t know why. Many people who moved to these structures with us many years ago have passed away,” said Piyose.
“Others scattered in other areas of Duncan Village, and erected shacks there. Some have houses now, but not us. This room, the floor was breaking since it was made of wood and really bad. But my son bought cement and changed the flooring to look better,” said Piyose.
Her son, Xolani Piyose, rents a property in New Life. He said, “My mother is alone in this house. I moved out since I couldn’t have privacy in a one-room. It is so saddening, because even her health is deteriorating. Every new councillor that takes over this ward promises to move them to a better place, but it never happens.”
Ntombizandile Mhlola, the portfolio head for human settlement in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM), said relocation of people from Duncan Village to RDP houses “has been stopped while the municipality is rectifying some issues.”
“The national government is currently handling the issue of housing in BCMM. And currently we are working on a plan, but I can confirm that Duncan Village is a priority right now. Hopefully, the people who reside in those one-room structures will benefit in the next relocation. I cannot really say why they have been delayed to get housing,” said Mhlola.
* This article was first published by GroundUp.