Johannesburg’s city council and the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) have found that the carrot works better than the stick when it comes to removing people from illegal structures and dangerous areas.
ARP spokesperson Mike Maile says they have “learned a lesson from using courts”, which proved costly, and would now use a “cheaper and less confrontational approach”. They are “encouraging residents to voluntarily register for relocations”, he says.
A group of residents who used to live on the pavement of London Road has been moved this year to Braamfischerville, near Dobsonville in Soweto. Maile says roads in the area have been widened and “school improvement projects” implemented.
There are incentives for those who volunteer to move. Johannes Tsautse, an unemployed father of four, is settling into his new two-roomed house in Braamfischerville. His relocation costs were covered, and he received a R500 food voucher and counselling to help his family settle in the area.
Tsautse is pleased that he has a house of his own, but says the council did not fulfil all its promises. His group received a hostile reception from the people of Soweto, who said they had been on the housing list for many years and wanted to be allocated houses in Braamfischerville. But, he says, the biggest problem is the shortage of amenities in the area.
“During our consultations in Alexandra, one of the key things we enquired about was schooling and we were assured that our children would not be inconvenienced in any way. We found no school in the area, but small makeshift containers that we were told would be shared by our children and those who arrived here last year. Many parents were forced to send their children to distant schools around Soweto.”
Tsautse also complains about the lack of electricity and shops in the area, and the removal of refuse. “People who moved here last year still do not have electricity.”
The lack of recreational facilities has also affected Tsautse, who owns a football team that played in the Alexandra Football Association. He has not been able to find a venue in Braamfischerville for his team to hold practice sessions. The local councillor has not been able to help.
But Tsautse doesn’t really miss Alexandra. “My chances of getting a house in Alex were slim. There are, of course, a few things that I miss. But I think I could get used to life here. Alexandra is lively and vibrant; here the place is quiet.”
Maile says problems with schools and other amenities are receiving attention. Basic services such as electricity, recreational parks, shops and other public amenities will be dealt with in the development under way in Braamfischerville.
He says the authorities are trying to avoid focusing only on the needs of the people who have relocated from Alexandra, as this might create tensions with residents. “Development would have to benefit all the residents in the area,” Maile says.
About 570 families have volunteered to move from Alexandra to Braamfischerville.