NATIONAL NEWS - “Residents of Alexandra are still living in deplorable conditions and the situation is disturbing,” says South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Gauteng provincial manager Buang Jones.
On Monday, the SAHRC conducted an inspection in Alexandra, following its joint report with the Public Protector in July last year which called for urgent intervention to correct human rights violations in Alexandra.
In the report, the SAHRC and the Public Protector made several findings against the City of Johannesburg, the Gauteng Provincial government and the South African Police Service.
The report was released following the Alexandra Inquiry held in 2019 after protests rocked the township earlier that year.
The inquiry heard submissions from residents, government officials, and others about overcrowding, poor policing, and lack of water and sanitation services in the community. The inquiry also looked at allegations of corruption in the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) — a project initially worth R1.3 billion, launched in 2001.
Jones said the city, the provincial government, SAPS and metro police had been given 60 days to respond after the release of the report, “but we have not received any formal responses to date”.
“We decided to embark on this visit to assess progress made in implementing the commission’s recommendations and directives,” said Jones.
While there was “some improvement in some parts of Alexandra”, there had been no significant change since the release of the report, he said.
Some residents of Silvertown informal settlement, located along the heavily polluted Jukskei River, said conditions in Alexandra had not changed since the 2019 protests.
“We want things to improve and we want Alex to develop because maybe we can get jobs through that development,” said Hlengiwe Ngada.
Garry Mahlase, a 22-year-old who has lived in Alexandra since he was eight, said he has watched the area deteriorate.
“We are still using portable toilets that are only cleaned once a week and we are still living in cramped conditions,” he said.
During the inspection, GroundUp saw sewage running down potholed Gousblom Crescent in Silvertown. Residents said the dirty water had been running for weeks.
Ntando Mbabali, who uses a wheelchair, said it was already difficult to get around because of the potholes and cramped conditions. “The sewage just makes things worse,” he said.
Overcrowding also continues to plague the township, said Mothibi Segopa from the Alexandra Land and Property Owners’ Association.
