City visiting informal settlements at Khayelitsha

On the 26th August informal settlement at Khayelitsha invited the City of Cape Town through Abahlali baseMjondolo Western Cape to have a walk about at their settlement so that they can see conditions that people are living under off, and also to create a platform for City of Cape Town to have opportunity to listen at what people from informal settlement had to say about the conditions that people are living under off, it also created opportunity for people to say what they want and what they don't want from the city of Cape Town and to expand on what they want on how they want it and what they don't want and on why they don't ant it.

At the beginning or before the visit it was agreed between the residents and the City of Cape town that the City of will bring all relevant officials to visit the areas and listen to people then after they'll go back to the City and check what is possible and what is not possible, then from the both the City and Abahlali will seat and engage on what can be done where they find it difficult to provide services and after the tour the City was suppose to come back with the report after two weeks but till today they haven't done so or keep their promise as usual. Abahlali have decided to a mass action as a results of the City's failure. The march will take place on the 22 October 2008, for more info regard to the mach please contact us at: abmwesterncape@abahlali.org or 073 2562 036




Challenged toilet at VT informal Settlement, Site B Khayelitsha. VT is a home to more than 1000 families currently there's no toilet at VT at all, these toilet were installed by the municipality five years back, and one toilet has been shared by more than 100 families, according to the national standard four dwellings must share one toilet.
Here is not a matter of how many families are sharing one toilet but a question of management of these services, and it is a true manifesto of the failure of the forced services, because when services are being installed without community participation what happened at this toilet will continue happening and the City will continue wasting lot of tax payers money because of its arrogance.
If you look at the current City's review of master plan few communities benefited from services, most of the money was used to repair broken taps and toilet, the big question is why?
One might say that its because people does not need these services, the reality is know one is enjoying going to the bush or begging for the toilet because it is embarrassing and it does not feel nice, even when using a neighbors toilet you really do not relax the way you were supposed to.

The problem with community Toilet is a mater of management, that's where the problem starts, infect the problem does not starts on management or protecting the services, it starts from installing the services, the approach of Abahlali Western Cape is such decision need to come from below and managed below.
It should be people who are saying they do need the services and where these services must be installed in the community, and the process of installing services for the community need to be managed on a community level not outside the community, the labour also need to come from the community not outside as well. Before people begin with the labour they need to be trained first so that they can be responsible for maintaining these services when are broken and the community should manage these services, and the community must decide on how to clean and protect their services before the services are being installed so that the could the sense of ownership and the process become 100% community owned, it does not became a money making process as currently happening, and this money making process is the root course of these vandalised services.
Dan Plato at VV informal settlement, taking notes.

VV is a home to less than 200 families and the area i very dense and does not have even a single toilet, there's only one tap which is on the periphery of the area, everybody from the area depended on that tap.
The excuse of the City for not installing services at this area they are saying there's no space, therefore they can't install any services at this community and they say people from VV need to be relocated because they cant be housed where they are because of the minimum space, as much as the community is very dense, the City is using that as a scape goat and try to justify their failure to provide services to people of VV. Abahlali Western Cape believes that if the City want to deliver services they can by swallowing their pride and listen to what people are saying. For ABM WC relocation is not a solution because of the implications it have to people's livelihoods and it create poverty. What we are saying is first the ownership of land in which people are situated at must be transferred to people so that it ca be community owned, by doing that you are giving people a security of tenure, because it changes the status of people from being squatters to permanent residents from being illegal occupants to legal occupants, and it become easier for people to invest in their own shacks or to improve their living standard, because people know that they'll not be evicted where they are but it also enable them to participate fully in their own development, even when it comes to developing the area that decision will come from the community not outside the community, people will be able to participate from designing and building their own houses not this charity thing, because houses today are like a charity gift that a person is getting from government not a right.
It is government ho decides where to build houses and who must benefit, from this process people does not participate, that is why the is a huge of corruption on housing delivery process, from politicians, contractors, governmental officials and community leaders because there's no accountability to the community.

VT informal Settlement at Site B Khayelitsha, the other problem of people from Vt is electricity, the area burned down many times and when ever this things happened people will always be accused of negligence or of carelessness or of leaving candle or paraffin heater unattended. The reality is how many people with electricity who have been living their electricity or their heaters unattended but they haven't been accused of carelessness why? because electricity is safer than paraffin and candle and government is responsible for all the fires that have been taking place at informal settlements. Even when they provide disaster relief they'll give people material which burn down again, their interventions does not stop fires and they'll will not provide fire proof building material for people as part of their programs to prevent fires.

TT informal settlement: at Site B Khayelitsha. The problem with TT there area is also dense and the area is flood prone as well, the area does not have electricity something which frustrate the residents most at this area.
There are few chemical toilets in the community, and there are toilets here at TT which the City takes to long to repair and them hand them over to the residents instead the councillor decide to play hide and sick with the residents an does not want to open the toilets for the community and people must sure because of that. see the press about TT section informal settlements.

The approach of ABM WC to the crises of locked toilet at TT we are saying the residents must must take responsibility of their situation, they must open the toilet forcefully, find plumbers within the community to fix the toilets, and the community members must also volunteer their time so that the cost can be very minimal. In terms of paying the plumbers each family must donate something depending from the total cost, hen after they must come up with a proper plan or managing these toilets and we believe that every body will be extra careful when using the toilets and everybody will play a role on looking after the toilet, because they'll be owned by the community and they'll know that if they are breaking these toilets they'll become a burden to them again.
Residents of TT informal Settlements are engaging with Dan Plato who is a housing meyco member at City of Cape Town, pleading for proper toilets and electricity. is that too much to ask?
Dan Plato, at Site C informal settlement next opposite fire station.
Conditions at TR informal settlements: The area is one of the most dirtiest places at Khayelitsha, here there are no refusal collection whereas there's a company that is responsible for cleaning the community, the problem is the labour does not come from the community and people whoa are cleaning at these communities are not account ably to the community but to their bosses, these problem will always continue as long as the community does not form part of their development and community members will not corporate easily with people that are cleaning at their communities as long as people were not consulted and the labor does not come from the community, people at TR are very clear and they have been saying to their ward counsellor he must come down and do proper consultation with the people, unfortunately their pleas fall in to deaf ears