Three months ago, Joburg MMC for finance Dada Morero said a lot was being done to develop Diepsloot.
He was speaking to Sowetan in June when residents of the township north of Joburg took to the streets to voice their frustrations over the high levels of crime. Crime statistics showed that 20 people were killed between January and March.
“There is a lot that is being done. The bigger issue in Diepsloot is to focus on combating crime which is escalating to levels that are unacceptable.
“There is also encroachment and buildings that are [built] without municipal approval... so those are some of the by-laws that we need to enforce but over and above there is a budget allocated for development,” Morero told Sowetan then.
Yesterday, mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said the city would develop a practical plan to develop the township.
He held a meeting with the community, which is yet another cry for help as crime claims more lives.
During the meeting, residents demanded a forensic investigation into the allocation of RDP houses, for by-laws to be enforced and informal settlements to be formalised.
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They also demanded that shacks be demolished and rebuilt to make the area more accessible to police and other authorities.
Gwamanda said: “The proposal would be that more than the service delivery that we need to implement in your community, we need to engage in a dialogue whereby we can agree and we can compromise both as the community and the government because what we can do may not be what you want at this point and it would be futile to impose what we think is best for you.
“I’m going to give my MMCs a deadline for there to be a practical plan of implementation. For there to be practically as we have to be realistic in what we seek to achieve and we have noted from the local government perspective that crime is an issue that we have to deal with immediately.”
He said there was going to be an engagement process on the housing backlog. “It’s not something that can be resolved overnight and we ask that you understand and be patient. The MMC is here and she had duly noted.”
Increasing crime levels have also impacted businesses, forcing some to shut down or close early due to fears of being attacked.
According to police crime statistics, 39 people have been killed between January and June. That is an average of one person a week.
There have been 66 cases of rape over the period under review, with 29 of these cases recorded between April and June. This puts Diepsloot in the 13th spot on this crime in Gauteng and 47 in SA.
Diepsloot ranks number one both in Gauteng and SA for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, with a total of 208 cases recorded in the first six months of the year.
Community leader and member of Diepsloot Community Forum Loyiso Toyiya said change would come when Gwamanda engages with the community and actually delivers on his words.
“We don’t want to fight with anyone. We are a peaceful community and we don’t want to take things into our hands because if we are ignored, if our memorandum is ignored, then that means there must be more that we need to do so that you [Gwamanda] can understand what we are going through,” said Toyiya.
Another resident spoke about RDP houses in Riverside, claiming they were allocated to families that don’t deserve them.
“Who gave those people the houses in Riverside? Those houses belong to people who earn less than R3,000 and yet there are government workers who earn more than R10,000 who live in those houses. Those are our houses and we are suffering, living in shacks that are harbouring criminals,” said the resident.
A member of the community policing forum took to the stage to speak on their frustrations, blaming leaders for allowing illegal structures to be built in the township. But he was cut off by shouts from community members demanding that he get off stage.
Prior to this, Bishop Setumo Dlothi had asked the community to refrain from “pointing fingers” and to “stick to what was being discussed".
mashalek@sowetan.co.za
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