Joburg Metro buys one-room shacks for R14k each

“A shack is not a permanent thing that will make you feel [comfortable] like you are in Los Angeles.”

This was the response by Khamanyamana Adam Baloyi – owner of Laphinda Security and Cleaning Service, which was paid R4.2m by the City of Joburg to erect about 300 shacks – whose shoddy workmanship has brought misery to beneficiaries who live in Denver.

The beneficiaries are victims of Usindiso Building fire that broke out in Marshalltown last year. 

Baloyi’s invoice to the municipality works out to R14,000 per shack, which is just 3,5 square metres with a hardboard door and a single window. The shacks have no foundation and no ceiling, and water seeps through the roof. There are also gaps in the corner between the shack’s wooden frame and zinc walls.

The beneficiaries have made their own foundations by using bricks to raise the shacks. The city has budgeted a further R9,8m to build about 700 similar structures on the same grounds.

“Those people are lying...Those shacks are temporary... So, was I supposed to build them for mahala [for free]? You know what, you are disturbing me now,” said Baloyi when asked about the quality and the costs of his shacks.

He then hung up the call. 

Sowetan took measurements of the structures and details of the material used to build and presented these to builders and hardware shops. Builders Warehouse quoted R4,919 for the building material without labour while Quinton Adams, who specialises in building shacks, quoted R4,100.

“That structure is made of thin zinc similar to tinfoil. They are not insulated and it’s probably hot like an oven in summer. Those doors are meant to be used inside and not outside as they crumble easily after prolonged exposure to the sun and rain.

“That shack is so tiny you can’t even put a double bed inside. An acceptable basic size for a shack is 9 square metres,” said Adams. 

A hardware shop employee, who was shown pictures of Baloyi’s shacks, said the material used was a “knock off”.  

“This type of material would normally go for R70 per sheet compared to the real copper zinc here at the warehouse that would cost you R600, this being the typical amount at any warehouse,” said the employee. 

A local shack builder in Denver said he was familiar with Baloyi’s shacks. 

“Those structures were poorly made. I charge R4,000 for a single room, including the window and a door, not the cardboard one they used. It also includes the labour but for the foundation of the shack I would add R500 and delivery would be R200. Everything would bring you close to R5,000,” said the shack builder. 

City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said the city is working with its entities to resolve challenges experienced by community members.

Community leader at the temporary site, Sethokwakhe Zungu, said six months have passed having been moved to the site but there’s still a lot of issues that still need to be addressed. 

“When it rains, it becomes a big problem, because there’s no drainage system ... it’s like the shacks absorb water and everything get worse. The roofs were not done properly, so the water just comes in like a river, some of the residents even went as far as paying out of their own pocket to lift the shacks from the floor,” said Zungu. 

The residents said the area is not safe, especially for the women and children. 

Modingoane said the city was made aware of the safety concerns and has requested the metro police and the SA Police Service to intensify patrolling the area. 

Modingoane did not respond to questions about the costs and poor workmanship by Baloyi.