20 October 2011
Memorandum of Demands from Shack Dwellers to the George Municipal Council
MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS FROM THE COMMUNITIES OF THEMBALETHU, LAWAAI-KAMP AND BORCHARDS TO THE GEORGE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
We, the communities of Thembalethu, Lawaai-Kamp and Bojas in George, have noted with deep concerns the segregated development by the George Municipal Council. This matter has reference to the appalling state of service delivery in the aforesaid communities. We have been living under the extreme conditions for the past eleven years.
For the past eleven years, we have been living under the disgusting conditions with no proper sanitation, electricity, roads, water, etc. The informal settlement of ASAZANI, MDONGO, ZONE 7 PARK, ALL BRICKS, ZONE 8, NYAMALAND, LUSAKA, ZONE 6, ZABALAZA, RAMAPHOSA, RIVERSIDE, TSUMANI and VODACOM areas are neglected by George Municipality. George development plan (IDP) does not make provision or whatsoever to ensure that our communities are equivalent to other settlements in George.
We are here today to present the following demands:
· We demand urgent installation of electricity in all our informal settlements,
· We demand urgent installation of temporal toilets where they do not exist, and proper toilets must be built to improve sanitation system,
· We have a right to decent life like any other communities in George, we demand collection of the refuse removal in all the informal settlement,
· National government has a program of fixing RDP houses with cracks but George Municipality choose not to partake because majority of the houses affected are in Thembalethu, we therefore demand that all RDP houses with cracks be fixed like in other municipalities,
· National government introduced indigent policy to subsidise communities that are not able to pay for their services, but George Municipality does not have credit control policy nor implemented it purely because majority of the affected communities are from areas that did support the ruling party of George Municipality,
· George Municipality have ensured that there is no development in Thembalethu area that will curve the unemployment,
· South Africa belongs to all who leave in it, we have observe the deliberate confusions and delays in processing the title deeds by George Municipality,
· George Municipality has choose to ignore all matters relating to tarring of roads and majority of street paving has collapsed, control of live-stocks, upgrading storm-water system, street-lights are not functioning, BANGALO project stopped, dangerous dams are not fenced, many electricity boxes that are not fixed, old electricity boxes not fixed deliberately to frustrate our communities, outside toilets falling apart and not fixed, no housing waiting list for our areas, no plans for backyard dwellers, no speed humps pausing danger to the community, clean-up projects in the community have been stopped, defunct robots are not fixed,
We demand land for the live-stocks, robots in all the major intersections, facilities for the aged, proper service delivery, youth and skills development programs, list process for our areas, visibility of the law enforcement in our areas, communities be consulted on development matters, more plots for churches, repair power housing project, George Municipal Council must conclude the matter of portion of 42 and 59.
WE DEMAND a full response to these demands within 14 days of the day this Memorandum is delivered.
Delivered and Received on this 20th day of October 2011
Signed: _____________ Received: ____________________
Community of Thembalethu, Lawaai-Kamp, Borchards
The leader is Mr Mateisi and contactable @ 073 087 1234