Residents of the informal settlement in Kraaifontein are reportedly living in water after their newly built shacks flooded during recent rains.
According to IOL, the residents, who invaded open pieces of land in the area during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, accused the City of being insensitive for refusing to initiate disaster relief.
They said they were struggling to drain their homes after the rains damaged their homes.
“I did not move here easily, and it hurts that people think we’re criminals for having nowhere else to go. Right now, we are not asking for anything much, other than for the water to be drained from our homes,” one of the disgruntled residents was quoted as saying.
The City’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) spokesperson Charlotte Powell said they would ascertain what services the group required.
In April, a movement in the informal settlement, Intlungu yaseMatyotyombeni Movement (IYM), marched on the Sea Point Promenade, calling for the City of Cape Town to prioritise housing and access to water and sanitation in informal settlements.
According to Daily Maverick, about 250 protesters from communities including, Kraaifontein, Langa, Delft, Mfuleni and eThembeni informal settlement in Khayelitsha, gathered on the Sea Point Promenade to voice their frustrations at the city’s failure to provide fundamental services.
Protesters said repeated calls for the City of Cape Town to prioritise adequate housing and other services had been fruitless, and engagements with city officials “aren’t translating into action”.
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