On the morning of Madiba Day, Thursday, 18 June 2019, Angeline ‘Anna’ Armoed wept. But at the time, these were tears of joy because the widowed grandmother had just received the best gift ever – the promise of a new house! After being on the waiting list for over twenty years, she and her family were to be given their very own home, compliments of Knysna Municipality and a private donor.
Now, five years later, her joy has long turned to misery – because this new house has never materialised. The promise, made official by a ‘Pledge of Commitment’ certificate presented to Mrs Armoed (with speeches, cheers and much pomp and ceremony) by municipal dignitaries wearing the ceremonial hard-hats for the ground-breaking ceremony, is yet to become a reality.
Nothing has been done.
On that Madiba Day The EDGE Community Newspaper and other media were there to record the moment, because an impoverished widow receiving a new 42-square-metre home would make a perfect uplifting story for the front page.
To date, that same piece of ground remains ‘unbroken’, and Mrs Armoed, now 61, is still living elsewhere. Her current home is a dilapidated two-roomed backyard shack, which she shares with six other occupants. To add insult to injury, this structure was badly flooded during the recent heavy rains.
In 2019, Annie Brinkhuis, who held the Human Settlements portfolio on the local Ward Committee, reported that Mrs Armoed had been a ‘backyard dweller’ since her husband died in 2002. She and her children had battled to make ends meet since then.
“Angeline was actually on the list to receive one of the first RDP houses in the late nineties,” Annie had told us, “But somehow her name got shifted off the list, and she lost out.”
Also in 2019, a spokesperson for Knysna Municipality reported that the family’s vulnerability had made them an ideal recipient of the housing opportunity ‘because the household was exposed to extreme poverty.’
However, it seems their extreme poverty was no longer an issue for the dignitaries or the municipality once the photo opportunity had been taken. Mrs Armoed and her family were left with nothing but the printed pledge, congratulating them on being the recipients of, as it turned out, a non-existent home.
When the rains of two weeks ago flooded her home, the widow’s continued plight caught the attention of Fregen Galant, a Smutsville Informal Settlement Forum member, who decided that it was time to push the matter again. He and Mrs Armoed went to the municipality, taking along the Pledge of Commitment (she has had it laminated for longevity!). They managed to speak to MMC (Member Mayoral Committee) for Infrastructure, Councillor Beauty Charlie.
Perhaps not being able to believe what she was hearing, the councillor contacted some of the ‘dignitaries’ who had been involved in the original handover. They confirmed (with at least some embarrassment, it is hoped) that Mrs Armoed’s tragic tale was indeed true.
According to Galant, the councillor then called the Manager of Integrated Human Settlements, Lindile Petuna, to ask what could be done. He suggested a ‘kit’ Wendy house could be set up for Mrs Armoed in the new informal area known as Lank Gewag, where her oldest son Randall currently lives.
“Mr Petuna made it sound like it was an easy thing for the Municipality to do,” he said, “And he also told us that once Anna is set up there, she could be connected up with electricity, as the Lank Gewag settlement has been electrified.”
But when we met with him over a week later, a frustrated Galant said nothing had happened yet, except for a lot more rain and flooding of Mrs Armoed’s home. Whilst he spoke to us, a very resigned and hopeless Mrs Armoed looked on in silence. Galant said they had contacted Beauty Charlie’s offices once again, but whilst the councillor took their calls, she could not provide any news for them as she had not been able to get hold of Petuna since the first meeting.
Contacted for comment, a Municipal Spokesperson said “It is correct that Mrs Armoed possesses a letter signed by a former Municipal Manager and Mayor, indicating a commitment to construct a house contingent upon sponsorship. However, the sponsorship has since been rescinded, placing the responsibility of construction on the Municipality.
“The construction of the house has been integrated into the annual rectification program, scheduled for realisation in the upcoming financial year commencing in July 2024.
“Regarding the request for materials made by community members, it’s important to note that current policy restricts the allocation of materials, and any implementation is subject to the availability of resources and requisite approvals.”
This newspaper looks forward to printing pictures of Mrs Armoed and her family in their new (albeit temporary) kit home, but no one is holding their breath.
