CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
8.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
some similarities in the experiences of families in all the relocation areas, differences also prevail.
Dinabakubo is the worst relocation area in terms of the indicator variables used in the study. In general, families here do not have clean water, acceptable housing and electricity.
However the community is better off in terms of access to land. This condition however is only recent, i.e. after the households have been given title deeds in 2000. Families however are still not happy since, they do not yet have all the goods and services necessary to achieve a better quality of life and also they have not yet moved to their new land.
Some families in Ntuzuma G are better off in terms of access to such services as potable water, electricity and housing. However, for those who still do not have access to these goods and services for various reasons, a condition like this is still significant in the context of the current debates about the impacts of forced removal to make way for large dams.
Families in Amatikwe are relatively better off in terms of all the indicators used in this study. The families interviewed in this area left as early as late 1970s.Inother words, their immediate response allowed them to make necessary plans for relocation.
Achieving social justice requires active intervention. With impediments having not been removed the researcher argues that families are not able to realize their capacity for meaningful participation in their communities. Many householders believe that their rights to citizenship and their roles as members of the South African society are meaningless. In view of this the researcher makes a number of recommendations which are very much dependent on the willingness of the state authorities to contribute. These recommendations are based on the belief that social arrangements are not a natural phenomena but a human creation. According to Smith (1997) what human beings created, human beings can also change.
8.3.1 Need for intervention to correct past injustices
As it is discussed in Chapter Seven, many families are not just sitting waiting for someone to help them. The positive efforts of individual households, as well as various strategies, are visible. There are attempts to integrate the past and the present. Families however differ with regards to their abilities to effectively adapt. Those who are finding it hardest to adapt, as discussed in the previous chapter, are the ones who need more attention.
Intervention is needed mainly to speed up the development process, something for which many dam victims have been longing for many years. Intervention can be in many forms, i.e. it can be direct or indirect. The aim of the intervention would be to strengthen the mechanisms already in place, thus allowing these families to improve their livelihoods and quality of life.Itwould be to remove those obstacles discussed in Chapter Seven and assist families to maximize opportunities to achieve their goals.
.A very important but ignored issue is that of recognizing these people, making sure that they are well cared for and their plight attended to. This is important to make them realize that their existence as citizens of the democratic South Africa is still important. Itmust be noted however that it may be difficult for the government authorities to pay specific attention to the dam victims. Many people are experiencing the same hardship as the dam victims and the authorities have a duty to try and address their problems too. This does not however mean that something cannot be done to improve the quality of life of especially the more vulnerable families who are victims of Inanda dam.
People will not simply forget the history and move on with their lives while there is still the gap between the past and present. As long as the darn is still operating, still hosting jazz festivals, and still used for recreational purposes while many relocated families are still living in "tin" houses and having no water to drink, their eyes will always be "full of tears".
8.3.2 Need for the provision of housing
Housing appeared to be the single most important physical indicator of quality of life for all families visited. It is therefore suggested that housing is the first issue to be addressed especially for those families who are still living in "tin" houses and poorly planned houses that were only used to supplement the tins. If government intervention is used to provide two-room houses of the same size as the houses currently provided to poor people in many places, allowance must be made for people to be able to extend these houses. In other words, there should be enough space left for families to be able to extend the houses to accommodate larger families. These people have no place in their original areas - no place anywhere else except in their current relocations. It must be noted however that even if people are given these two-room houses, this may be met with dissatisfaction since the
families had been promised four-room houses, not these small houses.
Such housing schemes as the Masakhisane scheme are good. They assist in reducing dependence on government. People contribute something, i.e. energy and money to get houses built. This promotes community spirit and co-operation, which is necessary for the long-term sustainability of the communities and the schemes. People work together to achieve a common goal, which in this case is a better quality of life. Government intervention in such schemes however is still necessary to avoid exploitation and alienation of the poor people who are eager to go on with their lives. This is necessary to ensure that the very injustices of the past, regarded as cheating and deception, are not repeated. The Masakhisane scheme needs to be made more transparent and accountable. Where necessary, the government can meet families halfWay financially.
8.3.3 Need for the provision of basic services to families who do not have these
There are families who do not have, but need, such services as water and electricity.
Attempts must be made to remove the forces that hinder the provision of these services.
There is need to strengthen the communication links between the local authorities and the communities and to ensure that community needs are well addressed and problems resolved. This therefore means that, communication links must be strengthened between the community and the local authorities.
The provision of services should not however mean that such services are necessarily provided free of charge. It is up to the Durban Unicity Council to decide whether to provide these services free of charge or whether people are made to pay for them. Part of the promise that was made when people were displaced was that, houses would be provided and land made available for grazing and cultivation free of charge. Some households interviewed admit that they knew that such services as water and electricity would not be provided free of charge. In the study it appeared that, people are willing to pay for services especially electricity as long as the service exists in good condition.
Perhaps a free service especially water would need to be provided to the very needy and poorest families. All these issues however need to be worked out through communication between the authorities and the communities.
8.3.4 Need to clarify the unresolved conflict over land and money compensation
While strategies to improve individual families and communities are good, such attempts to address specific issues such as claiming money compensation have not been successful.
While the researcher is uncertain about the possible outcome of claim against the chief for money compensation by the former members of the AmaQadi tribe, a response is needed from the government to clarify this issue to the claimants. For the dam victims to be satisfied, it is important that they fully understand the conditions on which the money was issued, how it was going to be spent, and whether they themselves have any entitlement to it. The researcher believes that if such issues are not communicated clearly to these people, conflict and confusion is likely to last for many decades to come and perhaps this will be the theme of a clash between the next generations. The former members of the Ngcolosi tribe in Dinabakubo have fought a "winning battle" over full ownership of compensatory land. There is thus a possibility that the claim for compensation money is a valid claim and can also be won.