While residents were happy that Mlamleli had taken the time to visit the area and engage the community on their issues in a community meeting at Heide Primary School, there was disappointment expressed to her response on the allocation of land sites, with some describing it as “more empty promises” from the local government. Mlamleli told the community they have to go through a screening process before they can become eligible for sites.

This is despite the existence of a list - established in 2014 – of 385 screened people who wanted to occupy an area known as “Gatvol” who to date have not received sites. She condemned attempts by the community to occupy private land located at the corner of Papers Street and Witherow Avenue.

This comes after residents and police squared off last week over land grabs in this area. Responding to a question about the exact location of habitable sites, the mayor said she knows there is available land in Hillside View, that has electricity as well as water and sanitation infrastructure, but there is no available habitable land in the Heidedal area at present. She also said Hillside View is also available to people who are eligible for bonds and subsidies, to which members of the community yelled: “We don’t have money at all”.

Ward 47 leader, John de Bruin, expressed gratitude to the mayor for attending the meeting, but reaffirmed his fight for land sites for his community, following Mlamleli’s comments. The 34-year-old Trudy Mokoena told OFM News she has been waiting for years for a site, having had been screened in her mid-20s. She says she was again screened in 2014 but does not think she has been included in the list of 385 people who are to occupy “Gatvol”. Despite the challenges she faces daily, Mokoena remains optimistic. “I am hoping to have my own house, have a nice job, but now we just have work for three months and then we sit at home. That’s how it is in Heidedal”.

There was police presence monitoring the meeting at Heide Primary School. The municipality’s law enforcement personnel were also present. While there appeared to be some discontentment over some of the issues discussed, the situation remained orderly. Witherow Avenue, the heart of last week’s protests, has been cleared, although not completely.

OFM News