A potential hazard in the Johannesburg suburb of Homestead Park, where squatters are living and making fires directly above an underground gas pipeline, has not been resolved despite a promise by the City of Joburg.
The city, which said the squatter issue would be addressed in a multi-departmental blitz held last week, has ignored queries from the Sunday Times as to what steps are being taken to resolve the situation.
Sasol, the owner of the gas pipeline, recently conducted a risk assessment which it presented to various city officials. The assessment recommended that “informal settlement residents must be removed due to undue and uncontrolled risk”.
Residents and the ward councillor, while welcoming the clearing of overgrown bushes and tall grass in a park where squatters have erected shacks, expressed disappointment at the outcome of the blitz.
Ward councillor Rickey Nair described it as a waste of resources.
“About 100 vehicles descended on the park, but all they did was clean the park of overgrown trees and bushes. The shacks in the park remain; the cows roaming around the suburb creating traffic hazards and making a mess all over remain; and the hijacked building remains,” Nair said.
“One of the main issues, the gas pipeline, which is not in the park, was ignored and the people squatting there were not interviewed or recorded by officials as this does not fall under City Parks.”
City Parks said that besides clearing the park, they had conducted an audit of the recyclers and the number of shacks so the next legal step to remove them could start.
“We have to work in phases. We now have the names of the 65 people living there — both South Africans and foreigners. We are not allowed to demolish shacks and remove people without following the legal process,” said City Parks spokesperson Jenny Moodley.
At least criminals now have fewer places to hide; they are more visible. However, we are still concerned about the other issues, especially the gas pipeline, the cows and the hijacked building
— Suhail Ahmed, Homestead Community Forum secretary
Regarding the cows, Moodley said they were confirmed to have foot and mouth disease, so they could not be removed.
City Parks will be liaising with the Gauteng department of agriculture & rural development to get the removal permissions approved, she added.
Suhail Ahmed, secretary of the Homestead Community Forum, welcomed the clearing of the overgrown vegetation.
“At least criminals now have fewer places to hide; they are more visible. However, we are still concerned about the other issues, especially the gas pipeline, the cows and the hijacked building,” he said.
Regarding the hijacked building, Joburg Water said there was no sewage blockage in the area causing a spillage into the street outside the local school.
Nombuso Shabalala, spokesperson for the utility, said the sewage coming from the hijacked building in Kruger Street “is related to greywater, which appears to be originating from within the property.
“This condition has persisted for several years, and based on our previous site assessments, the discharge is not linked to Johannesburg Water infrastructure. A team will be deployed to assess if there are sewer blockages around the area and unblock them. If the stormwater lines are blocked, this is the responsibility of the Johannesburg Roads Agency.”
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