A protest erupted in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the Kennedy Road Informal Settlement in South Africa, as residents took to the streets to demand building materials to rebuild homes destroyed in two separate fires in recent months. The protest, which brought traffic to a standstill, was staged by residents from the section of the settlement closest to Burnwood Road, who said they had been left without proper shelter weeks after the latest blaze.
The housing crisis in eThekwini has been highlighted once again, as residents expressed frustration over the delayed delivery of building materials. Despite receiving blankets and foam mattresses following the fires, residents said they were still waiting for building materials a month after the most recent incident. A community leader, who chose to be referred to as JB, said the protest was a desperate cry for help from residents who felt abandoned by the authorities.
According to JB, residents had attempted to raise the matter with the local area committee, but were allegedly told that the eThekwini Municipality no longer dealt with the provision of building materials following informal settlement fires. The responsibility, JB said, now rested with the National Department of Human Settlements. However, no one had been sent to explain the delay in delivering the building materials, leaving residents to suffer.
The protest also highlighted the poor living conditions in the settlement, with residents stating that there were no toilets and only a few communal taps scattered throughout the settlement. This made access to water difficult and increased the risk of fires spreading quickly. Residents affected by the fires are currently staying with friends and relatives while they wait for assistance.
Sergeant Simo Jili, a communications officer with Sydenham SAPS, confirmed that police intervened after the protest broke out on Bisasar and Burnwood Roads. An engagement with the ward councillor was later held at the settlement. The protest comes as the city approaches the November 4 local government elections, with housing and basic service delivery remaining major issues for residents living in informal settlements.
The scale of the housing challenge in eThekwini was underscored by the city’s housing figures, which listed an estimated 287,000 informal-settlement households within a total housing backlog of about 441,000 households. Abahlali baseMjondolo, a shack-dwellers’ movement, has strongly condemned the slow pace of government housing delivery to impoverished communities.
The municipality has stated that, since April 2023, disaster management for informal settlement fires falls under the National Department of Human Settlements, including the provision of relief materials such as building materials. The city said it profiles affected residents and hands the information to the National Department of Human Settlements for assistance.
Key points
- Residents of Kennedy Road Informal Settlement protested delayed building materials, highlighting the housing crisis in eThekwini.
- The protest highlighted poor living conditions in the settlement, including lack of toilets and limited access to water.
- The city’s housing backlog stands at about 441,000 households, with 287,000 informal-settlement households.
