Were the citys forgotten ones – residents

							We're the city's forgotten ones – residents
30 April 2009

The Government has been urged to provide proper housing for residents at Fort West Village,
west of Pretoria.

According to the Fort West Residents' Committee, there are no proper houses, electricity, water
and sanitation - but the government says they should not be living in the area.

Zubeida Ally, spokesperson for the residents' committee, said most people had lived in the area
for 15 years without basic services.

Ally said the residents' committee sent a memorandum to former president Thabo Mbeki in 2006
in which they complained they had been staying in the area for years but still did not have
electricity, water and sanitation.

The memorandum stated that most residents in the area were single - the majority being women
- and that they felt "government dumped us here and forgot about us".

According to the residents, the only time they see politicians is when they start canvassing for
elections.

They said they had been trying to arrange a meeting with Tshwane's executive mayor, Dr Gwen
Ramokgopa, and the Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu.

Ally said the Department of Housing had provided water tanks for the area and they were waiting
for the delivery of portable chemical toilets.

She said the chairman of the Pretoria West Community Policing Forum, Nagesh Chetty, had
provided funds for the erection of a stand where the water tanks will be placed.

"I asked him to help because most of us are unemployed," said Ally.

She said they would "monitor the situation", including how often the water tanks were filled and
how often the toilets were emptied.

Ally said the Fort West residents were willing to clean the area as long as the government
provided them with the tools.

"Members of the community are prepared to clean the area without any payment," she said.

Ally said they wanted the government to build them RDP houses.

"There is land available and we are prepared to pay for these houses."

"Government should help accommodate people who are suffering," said Ally.
Department of Housing official Jabu Tshabalala said it had been approached by the Tshwane
Metro Council's housing division to assist the residents.

Tshabalala said the area was earmarked for a major housing development and the residents
were not supposed to be there.

"We agreed, on humanitarian grounds, to assist the residents with the water tankers - each one
can hold 10 000 litres of water - and chemical toilets," said Tshabalala.

He said the Department of Social Development would soon move into the area to assist the
residents with social grants.

"We cannot move the people until alternative accommodation is found for them," said
Tshabalala.

Fort West was previously known as the West Fort Institute.

It was set up by parliament to house lepers from Robben Island.

The West Fort Leper Asylum was built in 1890 and was, from the beginning, planned as an
independent village with shops, post office, churches and schools. The hospital on the site closed
in the 1990s.

The property includes the largest Gauteng fort, built by the French firm Le Creusot (of Long Tom
Canon fame) for the Anglo Boer War.

It was announced in 2003 that a multi-million project will be developed on the site. In addition to
2 100 middle income residential units, Fort West was granted rights for retail, offices, a school, a
clinic and a hotel with 200 rooms. However, these plans have since been shelved.

This article was originally published on page 7 of The Pretoria News on April 30, 2009