Hundreds moved to site of future homes in Motherwell area

Almost 700 land invaders from across Nelson Mandela Bay have been relocated to serviced sites in Motherwell’s NU30.

Yesterday, some families were already erecting new shacks.

Construction vehicles were on site and workers were digging, installing toilets and ensuring that the plumbing was working as more residents were set to be relocated to the site.

The assistant director for social development, education and administration in the municipal human settlements department, Thembakazi Hlela, said those who had already moved to the site had come from NU8, in Motherwell, and the Chris Hani informal settlement.

Several other people from around the metro would also be relocated to the site, she said.

“Some of the people were moved from NU8 where they’d built along power lines and floodplains. That area won’t be developed,” she said.

Currently, the city is developing more than 600 sites at a cost of more than R30-million.

Checking on the progress during a site visit yesterday, human settlements portfolio head Nqaba Bhanga said: “We’re developing sites and services for people and the question of when the house will come is important, but not that important.

“No one will come and claim these sites [for themselves].

“No one will ever take that site away from them and their house will also be built where they are.”

The relocation process is taking place in three phases where contractors first service the land, then people are relocated and eventually houses will be built.

The metro has in recent months been struggling to deal with the scourge of new areas developing weekly around the city as a result of land invasions.

Human settlements deputy director for development and support Ntombesibini Mtshekexe said installing services was expensive but once it was done, it was permanent.

“There’s water and sewerage infrastructure and we had to include tarring of roads so that people could reach the main bus routes and residents can commute to their workplaces,” she said.

Mtshekexe said the metro had more than 11 000 serviced sites which were awaiting top structures. They are awaiting approval from the provincial Department of Human Settlements.

One of the new residents, Mzwabantu Vena, said he had been moved from NU8 after invading land in December.

Vena said he was happy because it meant that he no longer had to live in fear of being removed by the municipality.

“The municipality came and evicted us but they didn’t leave us stranded,” he said.

“There was a truck waiting to carry our materials and we were brought here. I’m happy because I’ve now got running water, a toilet that flushes and electricity.”

Xoliswa Ngxoweni said that after 24 years, her sister would finally get a house.

Ngxoweni said her sister had demolished her shack in the Chris Hani informal settlement on Monday and had been assisted by a municipal truck to move her building materials.

“This means she’s finally going to have a place of her own and it means a lot to us as the family because she was living in fear that she could be removed at any time.”