Butterworth Shack Dwellers Resist Relocation Amid Unfulfilled Promises

In the heart of South Africa, amidst the ongoing housing crisis, lies the Sikiti informal settlement of Butterworth, where residents are fighting for their right to decent housing. This community, described by officials as inhabitable since 2019, remains home to hundreds of determined families despite the Mnquma Local Municipality's relocation plans.

Life in Sikiti is marked by struggles against inadequate sanitation, with most of the 1990s' settlement sharing pit toilets or resorting to open defecation. Access to amenities like electricity is sparse, excluding the recent allocation of small solar panels insufficient for community demands. Self-installed taps stand as a testament to the residents' resolve, all within a stone's throw from the bustling center of Butterworth.

The municipality's spokesperson, Loyiso Mpalantshane, detailed the dire condition of Sikiti's land back in 2019—over sewerage pipes prone to breakage, posing serious health hazards. The solution offered was a relocation 3 km away, to serviced sites near the Zizamele informal settlement, with plans of bulk services installation still underway.

However, Sikiti's residents remain steadfast in their resistance. Baxolile Myeko, a resident since 1995, encapsulates this sentiment, stressing that acceptance of serviced sites is tantamount to relinquishing hope for the promised RDP houses—a fear rooted in the unfulfilled promises to Zizamele and Eugene residents, who still endure substandard living conditions. Myeko recounts a history of empty pledges, from RDP house registrations to unattended meetings with housing officials.

The frustrations are manifold and include stories like Nozipho Mvila’s, a wheelchair-bound mother whose multiple pleas for housing assistance have been disregarded despite her condition’s urgency.

A tour of the settlement unveils an incomplete toilet infrastructure and daily life shadowed by informal income strategies, such as shopper assistance with trolleys. It’s a stark contrast to the nearby river—polluted and malodorous—where children play next to sprawling dumpsites.

Community leaders, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to looming threats, highlight the communication void since officials last indicated a forthcoming dialogue in May. The unyielding wait for substantive outcomes continues for the Sikiti community—forgotten and forsaken amidst bureaucratic inaction.