Challenges at K-Section upgrading project

The Background

K-Section was one of old, largest and very dense informal settlement at Khayelitsha and the area has been existing for more than 20 years, K-section is well know at Khayelitsha and the area played a major role during apartheid era and is known because of it's role at shaping politics at khayelitsha level, most project and other structures such as SANCO has been led by people who are residing at K-section.


(upgraded site, phase 2 K section)

First ward counselor for ward 93 gained massive support from the residents of K-section and he was supported still by this community to hold his second term, after the second term i.e 2006 it was still K-section who played a major role on changing him.
The area before upgrading did not have electricity, toilets and streets, there were only few water stand pipes, the area was one of the dirtiest places at Khayelitsha as there were no waste collection from the area. The ANC was very dominant in the area on that time, there were few or no opposition at that time. The area used to have well known people or leader on that time and some of the people were well respected, as the level of crime was very high at Khayelitsha but not at K-section because of the strategies that were used at K-section by community leaders.
The area was declared In-situ upgradable by the previous mayor of the ANC who is currently the member of the parliament Noma-India Mfeketho late 90's and the project started at 1999 around November.

Project Phase 1

Phase 1 people were relocated around November 1999, at nearby site which was 15 minutes away from the original site, half of the community had to relocate so that they can make a way for construction. Few people from people who were relocated benefited from upgraded plots, other people had to come back and re-build their shacks at other section of K which was ear marked for phase two and other people had to to be permanently relocated at other informal settlements as they could not be accommodated at all. People who were relocated permanently to other informal informal settlements were told that they will benefit from phase 2 of the project, only 360 out of 980 families benefited from phase 1.

The problems

according to a resident who didn't want to be named because she feared her life, she said, 'It is very sad to say it 'other people who were right full beneficiaries of the plots didn't benefit, whereas here there are people who were not coming from the area but they have plots and if how they got these plots I don't know'. here if I can tell you the truth I was the first person to make a way for construction and I was the last person to come back again If why I don't know, but If I was stupid I would not have come back, in order for me to come back I had to phone housing board and that's where I was told that my plot was available and I was also given my plot number, when going to our community leaders I was told to wait until I receive a confirmation letter from housing board and after 3 hours one of them came to me with my confirmation letter and that's how I came back, otherwise if I was not wise enough to fight for my plot I would not have came back as well like other people who were side lined by community leaders and the sad thing is most people who was in charge of the project were not even coming from the area, some were coming from nearby section and they were elected by SANCO not by the community.

Gladys Tyali who had enough from corrupt community leaders is not happy at all with the process and she still need some answers from people who were in charge of the project and she called on government to investigate the problem further so that the rightful owners of some plots who were side lined can come at their plots as they rightfully deserve them. Gladys started living at K-section from 1985 and she is nearly 60 years old, currently she is 58 years old and she is not even happy with the size of her plot, 'look at this thing can you call it a house, look at here it seems as if these two houses are one house whereas they are not, that house is different from this one, the only thing that they've done here they only gave us toilets and electricity otherwise the area is still very dense, for people like me who have big families they can not extend their house as the space is still a problem and we'll still remain crowded' she said.

Streets at phase 1 are still a problem, if why or where the bottle neck is no one knows and there's no one who is liaising with people regard to building of the streets at phase 1.
people were relocated to relocation place from late 1999 and they came back late 2002 at their original sites, but still people does not know when they'll get their houses subsidies approved so that they can start building proper houses for them selves.

Phase 2 project.

Phase 2 stated early 2006 and more that 1200 people were relocated to Makhaza 10 kilometers away from K-section and only 460 people came back at 2008.

According to Bonisile Gladile who is one of 460 people who benefited from phase 2 project Africon was responsible for selecting beneficiaries not community members as there was no community meeting for selecting people or agreeing on the criteria list for people who will come back at K-section. 'I came back here because my name was approved by Africon' he said, when he was asked how Africon got the list of beneficiaries from K-section he said 'I don't know, but I guess from our community leaders'. when ha was asked what was the reason for other people not to qualify for the houses at K-section phase 2 he said, 'the committee members told us that other names were rejected by the computer, if why still I don't know'

Monde Ndamase who is one of the people who benefited from the project said, 'in my own view Africon depends on the community, they can't make such critical decisions about this community as they don't know our names, for me I think those guys from Africon issued letters based on the names that was provided to them by our local leaders, Even me I was nearly side lined by these guys 'community leaders' because in order for me to get my plot I had to fight for it, as I had to went to housing board and there I was told that my name is appearing to the list of beneficiaries of this project and I had to come back on a community level and fight with our leaders for my plot, that is why i came back otherwise I would have been side lined as well like many other people who were side lined by these guys(community leaders/SANCO members)

One resident who asked not to be mentioned said ' Chief let me be honest with you and tell you the truth, you know what happened here while we were at Makhaza{from the place of relocation}, there was a division and the source of these division was political parties by these guys from ANC and DA they were fighting about this project and after long time a decision was made, and they agreed that out of 460 members that need to come back here they'll share that so that the ANC local leadership can administer 230 name and the DA will do the same thing as they were the two main parties in the area, now people who came back here are the people who are the card carrying members of these two political parties' he said

Side lined residents

Miriam Malgas who is one of side lined people said 'there are people here who brought house from the leaders, as a results of that people like me were left outside of the project because greedy people', she is calling from the Mayor and Government officials to help here to investigate her plot, and according to her, her name was approved for phase 1 but she didn't get her house from both phases and now she does not have a place to sleep, she is sleeping by her friends and she is not happy with that at all.

She can be contacted at: 071 074 7987, her ID no: is 6712171066080 and her three K- section numbers are: K-471 this is her old no
K-951 temporal number
K- 741 is here new number which she was supposed to be occupying but occupied by someone else, if why and how she does not know.
According to her the community executive committee members had been working close with Unathi from Africon whom she suspect is the link or had corrupt relationship with community leaders and Unathi can be contacted at: 021 526 9400

According to Ndoda Rhubusana who can be contacted at:0744139310

division for the project was incited by politicians and after that the project became a mess, he had a letter from Africon written:

Nonqubela Makhaza

Certificate of Occupance

Permission is hereby given to Ndoda Vincent Rubusana ID no 7106125760080 to occupy erf no. 63155 in the Nonqubela housing development. The occupation of the erf no is subject to the above beneficiary's housing subsidy being approved. Should the subsidy not be approved, the occupant must move off the erf within 48 hours of notice to do so.

street address
129-824 K section
Nonqubela phase 2
khayelitsha

Signed by: Africon representative Date: 20/09/08

According to him why he was side lined because he refused to pay R500 to local community leaders as a bribery 'why must I pay R500 for something which is rightfully mine, because government did not charge me money for my plot but now I must pay money, that is something that I am not going to do I'll rather be sidelined if that is the case' he said

He said he phoned people at Africon and he was told that his plot is approved, but if where this thing changed he does not know, and he suspect that people who were facilitating the process {community leaders} had a source at Africon and their link was helping them to achieve their dirty tricks and in return that person was benefiting from these R500 that were paid by most beneficiaries.

Story by: Mzonke Poni

Khayelitsha housing and anti corruption activists

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