Wet weather adds to gloom at Tiryville

Many take refuge in ‘dog kennel’ shelters after shack demolitions

There was a sombre mood in the Tiryville informal settlement outside Uitenhage yesterday, as children as young as five sat around fires to keep warm in the chilly, wet weather while their parents went looking for something to eat.

This follows a court order to demolish the shacks of about 450 families in the area, also known as Lapland.

A few shacks and planks, sheets of zinc, blocks and rubbish remained yesterday following the demolition on Tuesday.

Those who had nowhere to go sat on their wet furniture, praying for a Good Samaritan to come to their rescue.

There was a strong police presence as some residents continued moving their belongings.

The Morgan sisters, Sandra, 34, and Elcinea, 30, made a shelter with plastic sheets.

-Yoliswa Sobuwa