IKASI LAM
Makhaza sewage persists
A group of children navigate their way through a flooded street by walking on the stones to avoid sewage at Nyanda Avenue in Makhaza The area has been flooding since Saturday 29 November after a sewage pipe burst and affected several drains Some residents had to vacate their homes Read more on page 4
As the construction of the new multimillion rand MyCiTi depots draws to a close, tensions in the community are threatening to affect its operation.
Two weeks ago, disgruntled residents protested outside the facility at the corner of Mew Way and Spine roads demanding that the City of Cape Town hire a local security firm to guard the facility The protests happened on Thursday 20 and Monday 24 November. The protesters barricaded the entrance to the depot.
ple. they by City for not consulting them when appointing the new service provider.
“The City doesn’t take us seriously; it undermines us. There was a security company working there during the construction of the depots. We heard now it was dismissed and a new security company was hired without consulting us,” said Madlamba.
However, in a statement on Wednesday 26 November, the City said it would seek an interdict against the protesters and labelled them as “extortionists”.
pr pr rup ope
tions at the newly constructed depots “The City is seeking an urgent interdict to protect the facility, and cases have been opened with the officers. Law Enforcement has been deployed to stabilise the situation, but this cannot continue indefinitely without detriment to other priority areas
The City wished to place on record that any threat of vandalism, intimidation or disruption of municipal services is a criminal offence and will be treated as such.’’ Madlamba dismissed the City’s high-handed labelling of the group as extortionists.
day gotiate tionists does not negotiate; they kill if one doesn’t cooperate,” he explained.
Madlamba dared the City to go to court, saying they will meet them in the dock. “All we wanted to know was the percentage of people from Khayelitsha who will be hired at the depots. We are not talking about general workers only, including professional workers. There are many qualified people in Khayelitsha who are unemployed.” He added the Ward 99 forum wasn’t fighting for the ward only, but for Khayelitsha as a whole.
PHOTO: UNATHI OBOSE
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Some of the shacks flooded with dirty water PHOTO: UNATHI OBOSE
Shacks fall into sewage sinkhole
UNATHIOBOSE
Shack dwellers from Makhaza Road Reserve informal settlement had to evacuate their shacks after they were flooded with sewage on Saturday 29 November. Over three drains had burst, causing an unbearable stench.
Xolelwa Mjekula, chair of the community structure and a flood victim, described conditions in the area as deplorable. She said three shacks sank into the sand after the burst.
“This whole saga started in one of the shacks. We saw the sewage coming from underground into the shack, then to add to the shock the shack sank. The same thing happened at another shack, and another In the end, there were three of them. The spillage was too much.”
Mjekula said the spill affected drains in the entire area.
She said residents had to leave their shacks and moved in with friends and family members.
“This is a health hazard, so we are not safe, especially the children because they want to play in the dirty water.
“The City must do something. It can’t be business as usual, as if nothing happened.”
Ma Mqwathi, a meat vendor at the corner of Japhta K Masemola Road and Nyanda Avenue, said she had stopped working since the pipe burst.
“We had to close our businesses because of the sewage.. And we will probably have to continue sitting at home until the City decides to fix the problem.”
Ward 96 councillor Lucky Mbiza said City employees were still trying to ascertain the cause of the problem
“We suspect a sewage pipe burst. But we will find out after they have completed their work. The priority is to stop the sewage from coming out and drain the dirty water
“No-one deserves to dwell in a mess. We will try our best to fix the damage.”
Mbiza said if there was a need for shacks to be relocated then so be it.
Exciting new computer lab opened at Vuzamanzi Primary
UNATHIOBOSE
Excitement was evident on the faces of staff and learners at Vuzamanzi Primary School on Thursday last week 27 November when the school opened a new library donated by the SA Hope organisation and the Khayelitsha Police Station.
The donation included 21 computers, a printer, white board, overhead projector, screen, 40 chairs and two air conditioners.
Several other schools around the province have been identified to benefit from the initiative
Gift Motshekga, a director of SA Hope, described the opening as the beginning of new things He said the non-profit organisation (NPO) works countrywide targeting schools in mostly disadvantaged areas, among other things, donating school uniforms and stationery.
“Because of the challenges we see the schools facing whenever we visit we decided to change our donation focus and donate computers and other lab equipment. This is the first school of three we identified in the province, the others being Newton Primary in Wellington and Tafelsig Primary School in Mitchell’s Plain.”
Col Bambelela Ngxaki, Khayelitsha Police Station acting commander, described the building of the lab as a great initiative Protecting the school and its resources is inseparable from local police fulfilling their mandate in the community as whole and urged schoolteachers to report any wrongdoing to the police station
School principal Mcebisi Mnconywa praised the NPO for its a good gesture; the computer lab meant a lot to the school, he said, and it would do its utmost to cherish and protect it.
“We live in a modern world where technology is central to everything, yet we didn’t have enough computers at school, with five or more learners to one computer. At least now this number will be reduced to two per computer, which is so much better for learning.”
Ward 87 councillor Khayalethu Kama praised SA Hope for its great initiative He urged the learners to use the computers wisely. “As community members we will try to protect not only the school but the community as a whole. Our priority is to ensure service delivery to the community. Today we express our gratitude to SA Hope for what it has done for our school.”
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SA Hope director Johnny Zhuang shows a learner how to use a computer as school principal Mcebisi Mnconywa looks on PHOTO: UNATHI OBOSE
ourney to a HIV
diabetes or high blood pressure As long as one lives a healthy life taking their tablets they are safe.”
What’s more, she said, HIV no longer has the stigma it had just 20 years ago.
Mazaleni, who had also had a bout of tuberculosis (TB), expressed her gratitude to all people who had supported her through this rather painful life shift and what it meant in terms of taking stock of her life and the way she lived it.
Howtolive longer,better withHIV
With effective treatment and early diagnosis, more people with HIV are living to an older age than ever before.
“You can and will live a healthy and normal life with HIV for as long as you stick to your treatment. The life expectancy of someone living with HIV who is taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) has increased substantially over the past 25 years and is now predicted to be similar to the average life expectancy of someone who is HIV negative,” says Medipost Pharmacy pharmacist Vukona Baloyi.
She dispenses and delivers chronic medications to support better treatment adherence nationwide.
Baloyi points out that testing regularly is key to early detection, which allows people living with HIV to start ART immediately, which can significantly reduce the virus multiplication in their body to undetectable levels and help prevent transmission
“If you do test positive, the first thing to remember is that you have the right to your privacy, and no one else will know of your condition unless you decide to share this information. Secondly, we understand HIV so much better, and the medication available has improved to such a degree that if you are diagnosed early, adhere to your treatment and have your regular checkups. HIV is a highly manageable chronic condition,” she says.
“If a person does not know that they are living with HIV, the virus keeps growing in their body. Without treatment, over time, HIV infection progresses to AIDS, and from there on, the average survival is tragically only about three years. Early diagnosis and treatment are therefore essential for preserving life and increasing life expectancy,” she adds
Accessing HIV treatment starts with
ing: If you test
and
HIV/Aids activist Babalwa Mazaleni (42)
PHOTO: UNATHI OBOSE
Page 8 | Thursday, 4 December 2025
to appe a d we st ad to so t out t e bac bone of the team by securing the tight five with the funding we could afford
“We started building with the 43 players since then and this year our efforts were repaid,” he says Player management was key and when players heard of Villager signing players for season 2023 they offered their services to help the club to rebuild
“I am sure Villager is the most diverse club in
