A family of youngsters – the baby just two and the eldest only 22 – are living in fear at the recently launched Ford Blue Village in Uitenhage, walking a kilometre twice a day to use a bathroom after the municipality failed to deliver on promises to install sanitation and electricity for the village.
Aside from the ever-present danger of their temporary, one-bedroom wooden cabins going up in flames because families are forced to use paraffin, those living in the KwaLanga homes have to relieve themselves at neighbours’ toilets or in the veld across the road.
The municipality said yesterday it was envisaged that services to the homes would be installed within two weeks.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the department of human settlements was working with other departments to ensure services were supplied to the site.
Among the families living at the village are the four orphaned siblings and their oldest sister, Ntombi Montshongo, 22, who is the sole breadwinner and a mother of two children aged two and four.The Montshongos walk the kilometre to their family home – where their aunt and cousins now live – every morning and evening to relieve themselves.
On entering the Montshongos’ cabin yesterday, the only brother, Sinovuyo, 13, was putting his two-year-old nephew to bed while his elder sisters, Siphokazi, 20, and Zanele, 17, attended matric winter classes at the nearby Limekhaya High School.
With Ntombi working as a cleaner during the day and her other son at a creche, Sinovuyo tends to his nephew’s daily needs.
Returning from class, Siphokazi said while they were grateful to no longer live in a shack with a leaking roof, they feared for their safety.
“When the councillor came to tell us we had got this new house we were told they were arranging sanitation and electricity, but there is still nothing,” she said.
“Our fear is that Sino [vuyo] is still young and the two-year old is walking so either of them could knock over a candle or something and burn the whole village down.”
A collaboration between Ford Motor Company, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and the Al Fidaa Foundation saw about 40 residents being identified by Ward 50 councillor Lunga Nombexeza for the 14 temporary homes.
The residents will use them until they get formal housing.
Al Fidaa Foundation administrator Mohammed Matvad said the agreement had been that Ford would sponsor the cabins and materials, Al Fidaa would install them and the municipality would supply water, sanitation and electricity.
Matvad said while the foundation and Ford were willing to install toilets, the municipality had halted the project, saying the toilets did not meet specifications of RDP housing.
“Our [Blue Village Project] housing is slightly different from that of RDP and we got different toilets.
“We are asking civil contractors to do the job, but because we only have 14 houses these big companies don’t want to take on the job.”
He said while the village had been officially launched only three weeks ago, residents had been forced to occupy the structures earlier to avoid vagrants taking occupancy.
“This is not Ford’s or Al Fidaa’s land. We can’t just go and put up things without permission whether that be permanent or temporary toilets.”
Nombexeza said the onus was on the municipality to provide a safe environment.
“Before we launched officially we had applied for the sanitation and electricity to be done by the municipality.
“We are still awaiting a response. And the houses couldn’t be left vacant because they would be damaged or occupied by other residents.”
Asked why he had not provided portable toilets he said: “We are not in charge of that – it is the responsibility of the municipality.”
Ford spokeswoman Rella Bernardes said its involvement with Blue Village entailed the provision of the wooden houses, including the preparation and clearing of the land.
“In terms of ablution facilities, a request was made by the team. This request is still with the municipality’s sanitation department.”