Mass Solidarity Movement
by a.k.a Mzamani, 10 September 2022
Residents from Gate 7 and 18 Avenue Informal Settlement during WATER Workshop which took place at, 18 Avenue Community hall. The Workshop was organized and facilitated by Ntirhisano Community Center (NCC) and African Water Commons Collectives (AWCC), respectively. Both informal settlement has no access to water. They have to walk long distances to fetch water in 5, 10, 20 and 25 litres and some residents are over sixty-year-old. There are no toilets and they are forced to go to the bushes to relieve themselves.
Residents of the two informal settlements outside the community hall during the Water Workshop. Thursday, 29 September 2022.
The residents in these informal settlements are susceptible to diseases because they unable to wash or clean themselves properly, regularly and school children are also affected. Children from as young as five years old are forced to fetch water for their families. sometimes, they can't make it to school because there's no water to prepare for school.
Residents during the Water workshop presentation inside 18 Avenue informal settlement community hall, Kensington, Cape Town. Thursday, 29 September 2022.
Water is life, key to sanitation and without water you are dying everyday - the attendees of the workshop agreed, unanimously they are ready for a mass action. Both informal settlements are without electricity and they rely on firewood for cooking.
Residents presenting their group discussion during the Water Workshop inside the community hall, 18 Avenue informal settlement, Kensington, Cape Town. Thursday, 29 September, 2022.
Some parents cannot leave the shack with the candle on because of shack fire - shack fires are a big headache to impoverished communities - members of many households have perished in the shack fires across Cape Town.
The attendees of the workshop agreed to organize in communities with houses because they are also affected with high water bills and cut offs. Because the capitalists and the City of Cape Town government are turning water into commodity – like they did with electricity. The members of these two informal settlements also declare that they want to march to the parliament demanding basic service delivery. As they have been waiting for too long. They have been to the local government authorities many time and instead they are sent from pillar to post and they are tired.
Residents during the group discussion at the Water Workshop at 18 Avenue informal settlement, Kensington, Cape Town. Thursday, 29 September 2022
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