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BCM pleads for co-operations, says it wants to change the face of the township

Duncan Village residents are adamant about not relocating to temporary houses situated outside Mdantsane — this after a woman said she was forcefully evicted from her home in Dsection by the Buffalo City Metro and moved to the temporary structures earlier in 2021.

Nozayedwa Mcaku, who had been living in Duncan Village’s D-section for more than two decades, said moving to the temporary structure inconvenienced her livelihood, as she had to use more money for public transport to go to town.

Mcaku said the issue of the temporary structures was not clear, as there were people who were not on the list of beneficiaries who were going to get RDP houses.

“There is another woman who moved to the temporary structures early this year, but her son was involved in a fight. She moved back to Duncan Village only to find out that her house had another tenant occupying it.

“The empty promises are pouring in. Why can’t we have our own homes built where we have been living? We grew up in this area and we refuse to move to another place.

“We do not want to move to the temporary structures because we know how long the process is of completing the RDP houses, and the temporary structures could end up being our permanent homes,” Mcaku said.

Former human settlements, water & sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu visited the community earlier in 2021 to check on progress with the de-densification of Duncan Village.

The project will see hundreds of families moved to temporary homes while they await the completion of brick-andmortar homes near Chicken Farm.

Mcaku said they had not been notified of any evictions and that people had been “ambushed”.

BCM has denied the claims, saying the relocation was a consultative process that had started years ago. The metro called for co-operation with the process.

Community leader Phiko Ntlazana said because the homes were semi-detached, when one resident had to move, the neighbour was automatically forced to leave and find another place to stay.

“Community members expect the councillor to go to the department of housing to attend to this. If this does not succeed, we will make sure our voices are heard by closing the road,” Ntlazana said.

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said BCM called on residents of Duncan Village to cooperate instead of resisting the relocation process.

“The reports that there are people who are being forcibly removed are false.

“The relocation process is a long, consultative process that started years ago with the identification of beneficiaries to workshops on the overall project.

“A person has to sign a consent form to relocate. We are disheartened that there are people resisting relocation to the temporary housing sites. We are prioritising the elderly and vulnerable in this process.”

Ngwenya said BCM wanted to make it clear that the relocation process involved the destruction of the old houses so they could build on those sites. The relocation would happen in phases starting in the next few months.

“We want to change the face of Duncan Village and leave a lasting legacy, so we plead for co-operation, tolerance and cohesion in this common goal of improving people’s lives,” Ngwenya said.