This is the Delft-Symphony ‘Temporary Relocation Area’ (TRA). It has an estimated 1,000+ structures and has been nicknamed ‘Blikkiesdorp’ (Block Town) by residents who see the structures as no better than their own shacks. Building TRAs is a new government fad supported by both the DA and the ANC. They look like refugee camps and are used to house shackdwellers who have been forcibly removed by the government.
At the end of the camp, construction trucks are building more ‘blikkies’ (tin shack structures). The residents of Symphony Way ask why the government is evicting people from well-located shacks and building new shacks far way from work. Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers want land and houses not shacks inside barbed wire camps.
Police and Apartheid era riot vehicles are are stationed (permanently) at the only entrance to the Symphony Way TRA. They are used to regulate entry into the TRA, control residents, and impose curfews when necessary. Police also use the location to conduct raids of intimidation against Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers who have refused to move into the TRAs. Residents within the TRAs have also claimed that members of the SAPS and the city’s Land Invasions Unit are selling shacks in the TRAs to new residents.
This picture is of the roof of one of the TRA shacks. It has been duct taped by residents to prevent wind and rain from entering. The government cannot even build shacks to generally acceptable standards.
The back of a TRA structure that houses two families. If you were evicted from a 4 bedroom shack in Joe Slovo, you still get only one room in the government TRAs
The TRA toilets are shared amongst residents. Some toilets include water taps on the side
Ask yourself, is this the kind of place you would like to raise your children? Do you still wonder why shackdwellers all over the country (and including the Symphony Way Pavement Dwellers) are refusing to move into these Blikkies? No Evictions! No Blikkies! No Transit Camps! We are not cattle!
Stumble It!
