By Everson Luhanga
Over 200 shacks, erected at a cost of R45 million, were flooded on Tuesday by Johannesburg’s first serious rains.
Among the people who are supposed to be occupying the shacks are victims of the 31 August Marshalltown fire where 79 people perished.
The pound was bought during the tenure of David Tembe as the Chief of Metro Police and Micheal Sun as MMC for public safety to house seized vehicles. But the site was abandoned, stripped, and vandalised.
When the Scrolla.Africa team visited the shantytown on Tuesday, three security cars were guarding the area, protecting it from illegal occupiers. Twelve security guards patrol the area night and day, seven days a week.
Without proper planning, the place has no toilets, no water system, no drainage system and no electricity.
The water was ankle-deep on Tuesday and the water levels kept rising. The area looked like a dam.
But the water isn’t safe to drink. Instead, security guards spoke to Scrolla.Africa on condition of anonymity, said they use fire hydrants to get drinking water.
“Recently, the city brought in bucket toilets for when the residents come and are now being used by the security guards,” said a guard.
Despite the resistance of people and business owners in the industrial area of Cleveland, the city has managed to secure the services of a contractor to erect the shacks.
Scrolla.Africa spoke to residents in the area who said they were worried over the government’s decision to erect shacks at this place. They described it as an accident waiting to happen.
Jonathan Nzimande, one of the residents in the area, was critical of the city’s decision to erect shacks at the pound.
“The city could have done an inspection and done the proper assessment necessary for humans to live,” he said.
“At the moment, the place is not fit to accommodate human beings.”
Thandolwethu Gumede, a manager at one of the businesses in the area, said the move would escalate criminal activity in the already crime-ridden area.
“The reason the pound was not opened after the government bought it was because they said criminals would strip impounded cars,” said Thandolwethu.
Pictured above: Flooded shacks at the pound Johannesburg metro police department bought for R45 million in an industrial area of Cleveland.
Image source: Everson Luhanga
