Delft-Dumping ground for the city's displaced

By Tarryn Le Chat
18 October 2006

The suburb of Delft is increasingly becoming the ‘dumping ground’ for the city’s displaced and marginalised communities says frustrated residents.

Residents are losing their patience with authorities as a result of the bad living conditions and a lack of communication.

The Cape Times says some of the displaced Joe Slovo fire victims, being temporarily accommodated in Delft after the huge blaze two years ago, are choosing to move back to their original area because of the long distance they have to travel to work and school.

An estimated 250 Nyanga residents along with Klipfontein road will be moved to the area.

According to some residents, racial tensions between new arrivals and the existing community are also on the increase.

Former backyarders Hilton Muller and his partner Natasha van Wyk are renting their house from a Joe Slovo fire victim who chose to move back to Langa informal settlement.

Muller said the owner of the house told him that his people (Xhosa), “don’t like coloureds” which is another reason he left.

However, Muller stated that most of the coloured gangs are blaming the rise of violence in the area on the people who are coming in.