Community leaders from across Gauteng will meet with newly elected Ekurhuleni Mayor Ntombi Mekgwe to show her the devastating impact of government policy in the informal settlement of Makause on the east of Johannesburg. The visit will take place on the 16th October, the eve of the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

MEDIA ALERT: Stop the “Eradication and Prevention” of our homes.

Issued on 3 October 2008 by a coalition of Gauteng community organizations

Community leaders from across Gauteng will meet with newly elected Ekurhuleni Mayor Ntombi Mekgwe to show her the devastating impact of government policy in the informal settlement of Makause on the east of Johannesburg. The visit will take place on the 16th October, the eve of the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The KZN government has passed a law ominously named the Eradication and Prevention of Re-emerging of Slums Act of 2007. The Act declares that our settlements should be destroyed by 2014. The National Department of Housing has given other provinces until November 2008 to develop similar laws. In line with these laws government will no longer extend service to citizens living in these communities.

Government currently provides no electricity, water, or waterborne sewerage to the 18-year-old informal settlement of Makause. “These are our homes. We will not allow them to be destroyed, We need the services our Constitution promises” said General Moyo of the Makause Community Leaders Forum.

The Forum has delivered various memorandums to their local and provincial governments. The Forum then took the government to the Supreme Court of Johannesburg, which ordered government to ‘meaningfully consult’ and accommodate Makause community concerns.

In Gauteng most local governments treat consultation as a formality and even exclude community organizations from planning processes. According to Buyi Nhlumayo from SANCO: “They forget the power is ours. They don’t take our contributions seriously, and in some cases even exclude us for public consultation processes”.

Gauteng leaders will show solidarity with the Makause community. “We are struggling in SOWETO, Alex, the Vaal, all over the province. Makause have the same right to free basic services as all of us and we will stand with them” said Mimi Ntsibolwane from the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee.

We invite the media to join Mayor Ntombi Mekgwe as she walks though the Makause settlement and responds to the concerns of her constituency.

DATE: Thursday 16 October 2008
TIME: 11am
MEETING POINT: Primrose swimming Pool, Pretoria Rd, Primrose

FOR MORE INFORMTION OR COMMENT: General Moyo, Makause Community Leaders Forum, on 073 430 7006 or generalmoyo@gmail.com