HOPE IN A TOXIC DUMP

Tudor Shaft is an informal settlement on a radioactive mine dump in Krugersdorp. I recently visited there as part of my "Don't forget the forgotten" campaign to highlight neglected areas in Gauteng. As we arrived the local ANC councillor tried to stop us from entering.

Councillor Susan Selaole said brazenly to environmental campaigner Mariette Liefferink: "I'm the owner of this place, I have told you that before". She said to a film crew "I don't want your camera". We went in anyway, but it was a shocking example of intolerance and lack of understanding of democracy.

I could see many reasons why she didn't want us there. Most of the toilets were broken, but a number of them were locked. Residents alleged that these toilets were reserved for the councillor and her friends.

There are only ten working taps for Tudor Shaft and the neighbouring settlements of Soul City and Bull Brand which shelter about 10 000 people. The water pressure is often low, so residents have the added frustration of waiting while water trickles into a container.

I saw a new use for a shopping trolley that carried water containers. There is also no electricity, so residents mostly use candles and paraffin. A man who sold "Kota, Chieps, Achat & Polonny" for R6 told us that he made less than R1 profit on it because he used expensive gas.

But if he had electricity, he could make R2 profit on each sale. He said: "We are not looking at colour, we are looking for delivery".

An angry old woman complained about corruption in the allocation of RDP houses. She said that the house allocated to her had been switched to someone else by a prominent ANC official.

Overshadowing everything else is the high radiation in the area. I stood on a mound with soil yellowed by poisonous metals including uranium. Radiation levels here are 15 times higher than regulatory limits.

This is why the National Nuclear Regulator has recommended that many people in Tudor Shaft be moved elsewhere. I stayed overnight with Steven Nawane, the chairperson of the local Democratic Alliance branch.

He has a wife and small child, and built his two-roomed shack with the help of neighbours. It cost him about R1000 for the corrugated iron. A veranda was a nice touch, together with some paving stones.

I admired his energy and optimism in circumstances that would depress others. He had a generator that kept some lights going, and local DA members had supper there. A comment made was that the authorities "are not thinking of our children, they are eating our money".

This widespread sentiment has enabled the DA to grow, with nearly 400 local members who walk around proudly in DA t-shirts. It's a very encouraging development in our democracy as it bucks the trend of "protest today, vote ANC tomorrow".

There will really only be change when arrogant ANC councillors like Susan Selaole fear being voted out, rather than voters supporting the ANC regardless. On Nawane's gate is a DA poster that says "We deliver to all". It's something that is desperately needed for everyone there.

Jack Bloom MPL is DA leader in the Gauteng Legislature. This article first appeared in The Citizen.

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter