Trapped in a 29-year-old nightmare

Block 5 squatter camp PIC. MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Block 5 squatter camp PIC. MORERI SEJAKGOMO

Any day now, the yellow monster will rumble through the Block 5 squatter camp, forcibly evicting a community of at least 200 residents who have lived there since 1989. For the residents, this week is a culmination of threats they have lived with through the decades. They spoke to Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI

“We don’t know if we are alive or dead. We don’t know if we are citizens or not.  “God is with us.”

We are seated in a covered shelter, paved with marble tiles a few metres from her house. Mma Sithole, the unofficial matriarch of the 200-plus community of squatters here, speaks with a restrained tone, the smoke from the smouldering wood fire filling the shelter and occasionally masking her emotions.

Editor's Comment
Bulela Ditswe entry fee could hamper broke talent

The fees have been doubled from the previous amounts and raise concerns about political participation accessibility and democratic representation principles.This significant fee increase prompts questions regarding its impact on grassroots democracy.On one hand, the fees act as a filter, ensuring only serious contenders enter the race, potentially reducing frivolous candidacies and generating crucial campaign funds. The BDP argues that aspiring...

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