Wentworth's Housing Crisis

One of my favorite things about working at the Wentworth Organisation of Women has been the opportunity to develop a close relationship with Myrtle. Besides being an incredibly hard-working woman with an infectious laugh, she is passionate about improving the community where she has lived for her entire life. Lately, a stream of people have been moving in and out of Myrtle’s office to give her their identification information so she can compile a list of people who all live in the Ark.

The Ark is a housing project on Austerville Drive, just down the road from many of our worksites. Two small buildings house ten families of about sixty people, with only one male and one female toilet shared among all. I was told about the Ark’s rat problem a few weeks ago, but mentally brushed it aside, convincing myself that it must be an over exaggeration. But, when I went to visit the Ark for the first time I had quite the rude awakening. As I was standing outside with the WOW ladies, a tiny girl with a puff of brown hair on top of her head bounded toward me, screaming “aunty Anna!!” It was Ronan, a sassy four-year-old girl who comes to after-school care at the WOW Centre who has become something of a favorite of mine. I had no idea that she lived at the Ark, and she insisted on showing me her bedroom. She gripped my hand and we made our way through the dirt into the building. The first thing I saw on the ground was three rat bodies, splayed out in the middle of the hallway. The walls that divided the different family’s rooms from each other barely served their purpose—many were on the verge of falling down, and none connected to the ceiling. Ronan unlocked the padlock on her sisters’ room and she showed me their beds, which barely fit in the tiny cluttered room, and a cement floor with more rat bodies lying by the wall. I fought to suppress tears as adorable little Ronan smiled at me, proud to show me her home.

The Ark

One of South Africa’s main television channels, eTV, was at the Ark to interview residents about their living conditions and their demands. One of the women spoke about how the rats that have recently invaded their living quarters are chewing up their children’s clothing, and how those who live in the Ark can no longer keep groceries in their home because the rats eat them up. Myrtle was interviewed, and she explained that the last time Wentworth had a new housing development was more than 30 years ago. Everyone who lives in the Ark wants to leave and live in better housing, but almost all are unemployed and there are no unoccupied houses in this area.

The next day, I attended a protest held by some of the Ark’s residents outside the Wentworth Rent Office. Cardboard signs read messages like: “Ten Families, One Home,” “Rats are eating our food and clothes,” and “We Want Houses.” Perhaps the most powerful of the signs read, “We not Black enough or White enough.”

Today, on my last day at the WOW Centre, we accompanied KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC (which stands for something like Minister of Executive Council) of Housing as he visited Wentworth to inspect the Ark, speak with the local rent office, and scout out free land that the housing division could potentially develop. The Ark residents were overjoyed that the government was finally paying attention to their problem, but the MEC was very vague about what would actually happen to them, and how long it would take to improve their situation.

When I ask most people why they choose to live in Wentworth, the answer almost always involves wanting to stay with family, even it means that you earn significantly less money living here than living somewhere more glamorous like Cape Town or Johannesburg. If there is anything I have learned while here, it is that Wentworth’s appeal is not in its parks, schools, or businesses—it is in its people and families. In a way, it seems that the government has taken advantage of this community’s desire to stay together; most housing in this area and in similar townships exists in the form of large apartment complexes, packing dozens of people into small quarters. Until Myrtle pointed it out, I hadn’t noticed that I have never seen homes for sale and I have never seen construction taking place. As I have been repeatedly told, this is not because there isn’t enough land in this community. The government is largely to blame, as they have allocated millions of rand to housing in this area that they claim was stolen, and they are alerted of unethical living conditions but take little action—the people of Wentworth deserve the housing that their country’s constitution declares is their right.