Fire victim’s never-ending wait for a home

Vianne lives in Aqua Park location in Kirkwood, Port Elizabeth. After the tragic fire, she says Sundays River Valley municipal officials, including Ward 2 councillor Frans Adams, visited her and promised to rebuild her home.

GroundUp found out about the story from Modi Maqabaza, from the Umanyano Lwabaphulaphuli Initiative based in Cape Town. Maqabaza said Vianne’s case had been reported to Umanyano in December last year.

“I was not home when my home burnt down in 2008. I left my mother, father, sister and my brother-in-law home while I went to my auntie’s place not far from my home. I heard people shouting ‘fire’. Some of my friends came to me. They told me my home was on fire,” says Vianne.

Rushing back home, she found the house in flames. There was nothing she could do to help her family.

“It still pains me, but I’m trying to be strong,” she says.

After the ward councillor and municipal officials promised to help rebuild, she says, “I was so happy. I was going to get my home back. I was going to ask someone to rent a room so that I could have money to go to school.”

But only in 2010 did rebuilding start and the job was only half done; why is unclear. Vianne says she has been in and out of the municipal housing offices. She is unemployed and she had to leave school early.

“I left school while I was doing grade 10. My aunt got tired of taking care of me. I asked one of the neighbours for help. I stayed with her for four years, but she had to leave the area.”

“Life has not been easy. At least if I had a roof over my head maybe things were going to be better,” she says.

Earlier this year, Vianne worked at an orange farm, earning R1,000 a fortnight. She rented a shack for R200 a month.

“After I found a job, I asked councillor Adams if he could at least give me the [building] material so I can find someone to finish the house. But all I got was to be sent around with no proper answer,” she said. “Orange farms closed last month. Now I’m homeless and I have no money to find a place to stay.”

Adams confirmed that Vianne had been promised a house. He said the matter was no longer with his office, but with the department of human settlements.

Adams referred GroundUp to Sipho Hombana, housing officer of Sundays River Valley Municipality (SRVM), who said the municipality was waiting for a response from the department of human settlements.

“For months we’ve been negotiating with the Sundays River Valley Municipality with no luck,” said Umanyano’s Maqabaza. “We decided to assist the girl in finding material to finish the house, but the Department of Human Settlements in Port Elizabeth promised to help us,” said Maqabaza. He said the department had found cracks in the house and had promised a temporary structure for Vianne, but “we are still waiting”.