Mamelodi Hostel residents march to keep their housing

The residents of the Mamelodi Hostels will be marching on the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Saturday, 11 July 2009.

The hostels, which accommodate roughly 10 000 people were built by the apartheid government to provide housing to the mostly male migrant workers. The residents living in these hostels have done so for many years and form a distinct community with strong social ties.

In terms of current national housing policy these structures must be upgraded to improve living conditions and meet the housing needs of the poor. This has been successfully done in many urban areas however the City of Tshwane Municipality has thus far proved incapable of successfully implementing the required upgrades.

The City started with the process of implementing the upgrades in 2000 but has failed to meet the requirements outlined in the national housing policy, particularly those relating to the implementation of the project and the requirement that agreement between the residents and the municipality be reached regarding the details of the project.

A pilot project implemented in the area, saw a number of hostel residents moving out of the hostels, under the municipality's promise of improved housing and living conditions in the renovated hostels. The renovated hostels however were allocated to other people. The previous hostel residents are now forced to live in the bathrooms and kitchens of old municipal buildings.

The remaining residents are therefore naturally suspicious of the municipality and show little trust in its perceived empty promises. Court orders dealing with the upgrades and the issues surrounding them have been given against the City of Tshwane in the past. These same issues however now form the current points in dispute.

Residents of the hostels are demanding that the municipality provide them with information regarding the proposed renovation, that they follow the process as set out in the housing code and that the municipality, in light of their previous actions, guarantees the current residents that they will be allowed to move back into the renovated units once the project is completed.

The residents' demands are simple. They are asking that the municipality follow the prescribed processes and abide by their promises. An agreement made an order of court in 2003 relating to the same issues states as one of its purposes, the promotion of  "transparency in the development of housing" and this is precisely what the residents are asking for.

In the same agreement, the parties commit themselves to recognise the residents of the hostels, who are the "real beneficiaries of the hostel development" and that the "government must co-operate with all stakeholders in mutual trust and good faith by fostering friendly relations, assisting, supportive and co-ordinating actions" and "fully allow the participatory process in open and transparent processes".

This unfortunately has not been the manner in which the municipality has proceeded. Residents have not been consulted or informed of the projects progress. They remain unaware or what the situation after the renovation will be have expressed concern that no effort has been made by the municipality to verify who the current residents are and thus who will be entitled to benefit from the renovated units.

Members of the residents' representative committee, who have been instrumental is ensuring the interests of all the hostel residents are protected, were recently arrested on charges laid by the ward councillor for the area. While the nature of the charges remains unclear, it is an indication of the municipality's attitude towards the hostel residents.

Residents have now decided to take their grievances to the Union Buildings, as they feel Tshwane Municipality has acted in bad faith and shown no intention of consulting with them in a meaningful, open and transparent manner. They will march to the Union Buildings on Saturday the 11 July 2009 in an attempt to draw attention to their problem.

The Residents have stated they do not object to the renovation of the buildings and would not have a problem in moving to temporary structures, provided they are allocated rooms in the new buildings and are provided with the opportunity to examine and agree to the proposed terms and costs related to the renovated buildings.

Lawyers for Human Rights who represent the affected residents has been involved in assisting the residents in negotiations with the City of Tshwane, with the aim of reaching a workable solution to the problem. Lawyers for Human Rights has expressed concern over the actions of the municipality, which reflect its removal from the housing needs and unique social structure of this group of people. The municipality's failure to abide by national policy guidelines and court orders is particularly disconcerting. Lawyers for Human Rights have been instructed to take the matter to court should the parties be unable to reach a solution to the problem.

For any enquires please contact Louise du Plessis on 082 346 0744