The City of Johannesburg has embarked on a shack construction project for the poor -- with the victims of the Marshalltown fire first in line.
The project is being rolled out on a R45 million plot initially purchased to be developed as a vehicle pound for the city.
The City said the pound would generate money to boost its finances but now, the Human Settlements department will accommodate thousands of residents, mostly the unemployed.
Among the residents supposed to be moved there in the next few days are desperate survivors of the Marshalltown fire.
They lost their homes when the building, which used to house the Usindiso Shelter for Abused Women and Children, was gutted by a midnight fire, killing 77 people.
Efforts to accommodate them in other centres have caused an uproar, with residents refusing to suddenly accept almost 500 unemployed people in their midst.
A field of shiny tin, one-room shacks are being erected at what was supposed to be a Johannesburg metro police department pound.
Twelve security guards patrol the place 24 hours a day.
When the Scrolla.Africa team arrived at the pound, three security company cars were stationed at different corners guarding the area to prevent people occupying the shacks illegally.
According to some of the security guards the Scrolla.Africa team spoke to on site, the security company from the south of the city has secured a three-month contract to guard the area.
"We are not sure how much the company has agreed to be paid by the City.
"All we are happy about is we have a job and hope to have the contract extended after the first three months."
According to David Tembe, chief of the metro police, and Michael Son, who was a member of the mayoral committee at the time the pound was purchased, the public safety department spent over R45 million to purchase the area and more money to prevent it being stripped and vandalised by criminals.
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So far, the place which is an industrial area, has no toilets for the new residents, there are heaps of rubble lying everywhere and water leaks are not repaired.
A manager at one of the businesses, Thandolwethu Gumede, said the move would only escalate criminal activities in the already crime-ridden area. "The reason the pound was not opened after the government bought it was because they said criminals would strip impounded cars.
"Now with all these people being dumped here, we will see a rise in criminal activities as most of the people being moved here, from my understanding, are unemployed and desperate," said Gumede.
