Top priority was uppermost to the construction of the new democratic South Africa to provide equal opportunities that aimed o improve the lives of all the inhabitants of the communities residing inside the Republic, irrespective whether they had previously resided in enclaves that were created by the old-apartheid regime. And, of course, all the places previously established-enclaves or compounds by the Afrikaner government, commonly-referred as those previously made for 'own separate development and for themselves' from other communities were destroyed.
In particular, we saw such residential facilities offered by the apartheid government areas to the so-called "compounds", where the employees were housed together to be closer closer to their employment activities destroyed..
That's why today we're contemplating residences that were built by the employer of the time, (South African Railways) whereby they housed the workers and their families, such as the houses situated at Burlinghan, Klaarwater, west of Durban, and the residential area, commonly known as "KwesikaGandhi", which were family residential houses above the old railway town (Pietermaritzburg), and other places previously provided by SAR, almost the entire province and throughout the Republic of South Africa, seen as history nowadays.
However, today we must focus on the area of Reunion, the South African Railways employee-residence that was built on the other side of the old airport in Durban Ministry (Durban Airport) and was still close to Interchange.
However, it is commendable to witness that the democratic government is responsible for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Department of Local Government and Administration were able to combine the location of Reunion surrounding communities and the nearby Glebelands Hostel residents into a single ward that qualify for all the service deliverables under Ward 76 within eThekwini Municipality.
And the government records reflect that the multitude of citizens and social of the inhabitants of the surrounding area of Reunion, reflects that there were approximately hundred houses previously constructed by the, then, employer -South African Railways. Nowadays,the number of people (residents) of Reunion have grown multiple times, as the number has outgrown the number of houses earlier earmarked for South African Railways employees.
Discussion with fellow citizens who live in the territory of Reunion, they raised a few complaints on the key developmental issues, such as the provision of infrastructure opportunities under a democratic government.
One elderly, who has stayed in the area of Reunion for over twenty years, Mrs Noh Mtshali, now a single parent raising few children after the death of her husband who weas employed by South African Railways, and an activist of the ANCWL has proposed that the local government (i.e eThekwini Municipality) has to attend to the needs of the residents by providing them with the educational infrastructure, such as schools. According to Mtshali, the construction of such facilities for the youth development will go a long way towards nurturing a new culture to the Reunion kids and their Glebe Hostel counterparts that were born and raised from the hostel.
Even one citizen born and bred (grew up) in the Reunion area, Mr Jomo Ngqingwana, who's a businessman (SME) on the other side of the railway station (at Glebe Hostel) commends their integration to the Glebe Hostel and identified business opportunities they were now exposed to with the Glebe Hostel communities.
However, it was a former trade union activist, Mr Kholi Dlamini, who argued strongly that Reunion residents they should be consulted on every developmental initiated that were earmarked for their residential area. He expressed annoyance that the park facilities meant for the development of the children was vandalised and destroyed in the area. He also lambasted the "Fly-by-Night" charismatic churches that worship in the tents that have blossomed in their area without the citizens being invited into a forum whereby they were consulted.
The overarching question to the inhabitants of the Reunion Glebe Hostel is how long it will be to be able to get their children the opportunity to learn close to their families? For many parents it was proving expensive to hire commuters daily athat ferry their children to and from schools in the neighbouring townships, such as Lamontville or Umlazi, and to the other multiracial schools of Wentworth and Isiphingo surburbs.
Does the leadership of the eThekwini Municipality only care a damn about the Reunion and Glebe Hostel residents only when the IEC start making preparations for the voting periods only? Basically, how many votes were required to sustain the constituency of Ward 76? When will the basic needs for the development of young people growing up in these areas be made a top prior Efforts to find the input of the Department of Education circle constellation could not be found.
ENDS
Author: Nkonzwenhle ''Nkonzo" Mqadi
[Independent Media Practitioner from EMAQADINI MEDIA, and also, a teacher employed by the KZN DoE - Umlazi , the provincial Department of Education]
