Residents of Marikana informal settlement outside Pretoria say they have languished for years without water, electricity or rubbish removal services. As a court case continues that may lead to residents’ removal, there may be a way for the community to stay.
Community leader Mahlatse Tlabela says residents first moved onto the land near Tswaing Crater in Tshwane’s Ward 13 about four years ago. He adds the settlement has never had water, electricity or rubbish removal services. The settlement’s dusty byways are littered with stinking rubbish heaps – a revolting mix of everything from rotten food to plastics to dead animals. Rats and cockroaches can be seen crawling everywhere. Getrude Makaringe lives in the settlement with her two-year old child. She says she worries that the settlement’s poor state will eventually make her child sick.