COUPLES from Delft in Cape Town can hardly get any sleep.
This is because their neighbours are keeping them up with tlof tlof.
And they can hear all the moaning and sounds that come with tlof tlof, because the temporary shelter they share is divided by boards!
Now Songezo Maduba (40) and his neighbour Zuko Lusiti (42) want the houses they were promised when they were moved from Langa.
“We have no privacy here. These temporary houses are not fit for humans, they have no privacy at all.
“When I poke, my neighbour hears everything. It means I must put my TV on high volume to poke in peace. This also affects my neighbour because when I turn up the volume at 11pm, I am disturbing their sleep. We are not happy here,” said Songezo.
He said they agreed to live in the house on the basis that they would be taken to their houses.
Zuko said they also agreed to live there with the belief it would be a few months, but it has been more than five years.
He said the material used to divide the temporary houses is thin and makes it seem like the families are in the same space.
“There’s no privacy. You can hear them even when they kiss in their bed.
“If your neighbour can hear you during se_x, what more for your children who live in the same space with you? We are living in an undignified space and want to be out of here,” said Zuko.
Marcellino Martin, spokesman for the Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers, said they were struggling with land to build houses for those who live in temporary structures, hence their long stay.
“There’s a shortage of suitable and well-located land in close proximity to social, economic and recreational opportunities. In the cases where well-located land is available, it’s often in the hands of the private sector and often not large enough to deliver on the required mega scale. The continuous illegal occupation of land, suitable for housing developments, further minimises opportunities for qualifying approved beneficiaries.
“Land parcels large enough to deliver on the required scale are often located on the urban edge, away from people’s livelihoods and further promoting urban sprawl,” he said.
— Daily Sun