Idle land, idle lives: Ennerdale’s decade-long wait for promised homes
The Ennerdale Stakeholders Association, mandated by the community to represent them, states that the project was initially launched as a Pilot Project for RDP houses with the backing of then-MEC for Human Settlements, Mr Paul Mashatile.
A decade of broken promises and bureaucratic delays has pushed residents of Ennerdale Extension 6 to the brink, as they demand action on vacant land they were officially promised for housing.
Frustration is boiling over into direct action on stands 4553 and 4554, plots allegedly earmarked for a housing development in 2013.
To date, not a single house has been built, nor a single stand allocated, in a community they describe as suffering from over four decades of systemic neglect.
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The Ennerdale Stakeholders Association, mandated by the community to represent them, states that the project was initially launched as a Pilot Project for RDP houses with the backing of then-MEC for Human Settlements, Mr Paul Mashatile.
“We gave the government everything they needed – the land, a verified beneficiary list, and our full co-operation. Yet, eleven years later, nothing has been done. This land lies idle while our people live in worsening, overcrowded conditions. This is not a request, it is a demand for the dignity we were promised.,” said a representative of the association.
Faced with this endless delay, desperate residents have begun occupying the land and erecting makeshift structures. While law enforcement has moved to demolish these homes, classifying the action as illegal land invasion, the occupants tell a different story.
“Is it land grabbing, or is it an unfulfilled promise?” asked one woman, caring for five children, including fostered ones. She added, “I have nowhere else to go. I was evacuated from the place I rented.” Another resident, carrying building materials onto the plot, stated, “I have no other option.”
The association has issued a clear set of demands: the immediate reactivation of the housing project, transparent engagement with Human Settlements officials, the swift allocation of stands to pre-verified beneficiaries, and a formal investigation into the years of delays and alleged mismanagement.
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“Our patience has run out. Ennerdale deserves the same dignity and development afforded to other communities. We will not rest until our people receive what they were promised,” the stakeholders said.
Amid the tension, residents plead for peace and understanding. In a message to law enforcement, they stated, “We don’t have the resources that you have. You can shoot us and destroy [our structures], but we are not fighting the authorities. We only appeal to live here in peace.”
An inquiry has been sent to the Department of Human Settlements, which had not responded by the time of publication.
