An elderly mother and daughter in Kariega’s Joe Slovo informal settlement are tired of being used as campaign fodder by politicians who leave them with false hope during elections.
Katrina van Enway, 95, who suffers from asthma and her daughter, Katie, 60, live in a run-down rusty zinc shack that gets flooded every time it rains heavily.
Their shack is riddled with holes, including one huge gap in the roof. Their bucket toilet, a few metres from the shack, does not have a door and they use a communal tap for water.
Katie said she worries that her mother may succumb to an asthma attack during winter.
“I’ve been living with my mother for 12 years now, and every winter I am always afraid that I may lose her because her asthma attacks become more frequent,” she said.
Katie said they’ve had many visits from politicians who’ve come to assess their situation and promised them an RDP house — but they are still waiting.
“Every election they come and take pictures of our living situation but nothing ever comes from their visits. We were promised a Wendy house but it never came. We’re tired of their false promises,” Katie said.
She said earlier this week she and her mother were visited by Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk who promised them an RDP house.
Van Niekerk confirmed that he had visited them.
“I was very touched by their situation,” he said.
“The first prize is to get them an RDP house but I know that’s a long process. In the meantime, I will make sure that they get a temporary structure while I talk to the relevant authorities for a more permanent solution,” Van Niekerk said.
Pictured above: Katie van Enway, 60, with Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Gary van Niekerk.
Image Source: Supplied
