Ezibeleni Gogos Say Shack Demolitions Could Send Them Back to Death

Fears of sleeping outside or going home and being burnt alive in their home villages is what is giving two old women from Ekuphumleni informal settlement in Ezibeleni sleepless nights.

The two women accused of witchcraft in their villages came to Ezibeleni to find refuge, but now the municipality will be demolishing their shacks.

Coming to Ezibeleni to find refuge for Luleka Qokolwana and Lulama Ntuthu was a life changer as they were welcomed by the community of Ekuphumleni.

However, last year they were forced to sleep outside as the municipality demolished their shacks which they had to rebuild with old material.

Lulama Ntuthu siting next to her demolished shack

Qokolwana ran away in Zwartwater fearing to be burnt alive by residents after she was called a witch.

She said she came to Komani after the community of Dumdum in Zwartwater wanted to kill her, accusing her of witchcraft.

“I came here to be safe and now the government is demolishing our shacks. We have no place to go. I can’t go back to Zwartwater as the community will kill me,” she said

Luleka Qokolwana and her grandson

Qokolwana said by demolishing her shack, Enoch Mgijima Municipality is pushing her to be killed as she will have no place to go.

For Ntuthu, Ekuphumleni is her home as she was told to never set foot in Sada, Whittlesea.

She told Komani News that she left Sada after she was accused of being a witch.

“I heard that there is a place here where I can build a shack and I came here. Now they want to demolish our shacks, we don’t know where to go,” she said.

Ntuthu said they are not offered an alternative area where they can build their shacks.

Photo: Tembile Sgqolana

“We have no places to go and these shacks are our homes. We don’t know where the municipality wants us to stay,” she said.

Ntuthu urged Enoch Mgijima Municipality mayor Madoda Papiyana to intervene and stop the demolishing of shacks at Ezibeleni.

Another resident Lufatsi Futshane said he stayed at the informal settlement after his brother kicked him out of his home at Ezibeleni.

“I stayed here for years and last year they demolished our shacks and now they are threatening to demolish them again,” said Futshane.

He said the ANC led government has failed poor people under the leadership of Papiyana.

“The apartheid government is better than this ANC led government. It was better during the apartheid time for us than now,” Futshane said.

Thimna Peyi said Ekuphumleni was meant to be a place to rest but for them it’s torture.

“When the municipality demolished our shacks last year we had to sleep outside fearing for our furniture to be stolen. Now we are still living in fear as we don’t have places to go,” said Peyi.

Photo: Tembile Sgqolana

Peyi said surviving is a challenge for her and she can’t even afford to rent a flat.

“I depend on the children’s grants which is not enough for us. When our shacks were demolished we were forced to rebuild our shacks using old equipment,” she said.

Mjaza Gxakwe from Dordrecht said after the death of her wife, life was not right for him and the abuse by his children led him to come to Ezibeleni.

“I cannot go back to Dordrecht and here I don’t have a place to stay. I can’t afford rent as I am not working,” he said.

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said the demolition will not be carried out tomorrow but it will happen, and will only affect illegally erected structures.

“⁠The Municipality has a court order prohibiting the erection of the shacks. Structures that existed before the Court order will not be affected but only those built after it had been obtained. Those structures were forcefully built against all the calls and warnings from Ward Councillors,” he said.

Kowa said structures that were illegally built are known and only those will be demolished. “⁠Affected communities were engaged on this matter,” he said.