Tensions between RDP housing residents and informal settlement dwellers in Scenery Park have escalated into violence, ending in the torching of a home and leaving its owner destitute.
The dispute stems from an ongoing clash over electricity connections.
RDP homeowners allege that illegal connections from their properties to the nearby informal settlement, Zibonele, have caused frequent power outages and increased the risk of electrical fires.
This long-standing friction turned destructive on Thursday evening when a confrontation allegedly spiralled out of control.
Victim, Nompinda Zoli said: “They arrived while I was at my neighbour’s house and burnt my house. Before they started, they were chanting songs and burning tyres in front of my house. I lost everything.”
Zoli lives with her two children who witnessed their home burn down to the ground.
The elderly woman has been a victim since the clash started in July. Last month her house was vandalised by the same informal settlement residents.
“I have been living here for three decades, and I have never experienced such cruelty in my life,” said broken-hearted Zoli.
Witnesses say a group of people stormed Zoli’s RDP house before setting it alight.
Residents who wanted to remain anonymous said: “The property was completely gutted, and all belongings inside were destroyed. Zoli escaped unharmed but has been left with nothing.
“This has gone too far. We are living in fear every day, our children are traumatised by this. The government must intervene before someone dies from this.”
In July, Scenery Park residents were injured and a church and 10 houses vandalised, with at least one of them looted, after clashes with Zibonele informal settlement residents over illegal electricity connections on Tuesday evening.
Buffalo City metropolitan municipality spokesperson Bongani Fuzile confirmed that several informal dwellings were illegally connected to a mini-substation situated on Amathole property in the area.
He said: “This has led to repeated equipment failure. Recently, the substation had to be replaced twice within a single month due to overload caused by these illegal connections.
“This has severely affected residents who are legally connected to the electricity grid, and it has understandably caused frustration and anger among communities.
“However, BCMM strongly condemns any form of violence, intimidation, or vigilantism in response to this issue. We urge all residents to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.”
Fuzile said the affected informal settlement is located on undevelopable land, which poses huge challenges for formal electrification.
“BCMM is exploring long-term solutions that include the possible relocation of residents to more suitable land where basic services can be provided in a safe and sustainable manner”, he said.
Fuzile said the municipality was continuously engaging with affected residents and will intensify efforts to mediate the situation while working within the legal framework to address illegal connections.
Fuzile has confirmed that a case has been opened with the police and it is under investigation.
Daily Dispatch
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