‘Mahala’ street stall benefits Plot 323 dwellers
The volunteers hosted a street stall at the plot, where they 'vended' various second-hand clothes and food items to the dwellers – free of charge.
The displaced dwellers of Plot 323 may still be surrounded by sadness and uncertainty due to there not being a solution to their housing issues yet, but on 25 August, they were able to smile for a while.
The impoverished tent-dwelling evictees received an overwhelming visit from a group known as ‘MyNeighbour’ and various businesses from the area, who united to spend the entire morning lending a helping hand to the community.
The volunteers hosted a street stall at the plot, which they used to ‘vend’ various second-hand clothes and food items to the dwellers – free of charge.
A member of MyNeighbour, Elaine Sutherland, shared the purpose of this charitable event. “MyNeighbour runs a street stall with a difference as its purpose is to offer people an opportunity to ‘shop’ for free and hopefully enjoy whatever they have chosen from the goods on display,” she explained.
Another driver of this organisation, Helen McDonald, spoke about the need to host such an activity at Plot 323 and told of the numerous contributions from companies that came to the fore to make the event a success. “The ‘neighbourhood’ in our name consists of Wilgeheuwel, Strubens Valley and Little Falls. The residents of the area, plus various businesses such as Pam Golding, Simply Asia, Velosa and Associates, Sisters @Work, Eyes @Work and the Webb family all donated clothing and general goods to this displaced community that has practically nothing at this point in time.
The plot dwellers, including women and school-going children, benefited immensely from the stall as they were able to help themselves to some of the things they need the most, as well as some toys for their children, after they lost everything they had during the eviction last year.
“These clothes will help us a lot, because we lost everything during the eviction. We are happy to get some assistance to recover, but we also encourage other organisations to weigh in, especially with food, because most of us are starving,” said a resident named Ruben Ndlovu, while picking out some clothes he needed.
Another dweller, Beauty Maake, who was interviewed by the Northsider last year while she was pregnant with her son, who is now a year old, expressed her gratitude for the help they’ve received. “Although we are still unhappy with our living conditions, it’s good to know that there are some people who care about us,” she said.
However, she also complained about sickness and the safety issues of staying in the tents. “Now that the rainy season is coming, things will be worse, because the tents get blown away. We also have an issue with security. We want to be allowed to erect our own temporary structures and to be provided with security fencing to prevent criminal elements getting into the plot,” she said.
A worried Lefty Khuselo, who’s also been fighting for a better settlement, said there’s been little progress on their matter.
However, the MMC for Economic Development and Ward 97 councillor, Leah Knott, was able to update the Northsider on the housing project. She said, “The ‘Holdings 6 and 7 Haylon AH: Proposed emergency accommodation application’ can be supported, provided that a consent use application is submitted for evaluation in terms of clause 12 of the Roodepoort Town Planning Scheme in conjunction with section 19 of the CoJ Land Use and Spatial Planning By-law. However, the subject properties are located close to Eagle Canyon Estate and the objections that might be received from this estate might delay the application.”
The process may take up to five months if there are no objections, Leah advised.
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