GROUNDUP: Families living in Joburg stadium trapped among rubbish and rats

Hundreds of families in Johannesburg still live in unsanitary conditions at Wembley Stadium, years after being promised temporary shelter. The City of Johannesburg moved residents there after evictions or fires, expecting them to relocate to permanent housing within six months. However, the City has failed to provide any plan for moving them out.

The residents are living among rubbish, rats, graffiti, drug use, and violence. They have no electricity, water, or security, and some residents, like Ethel Musosoza, have been unable to find other housing options because they do not have a passport or are immigrants. The City of Johannesburg's TEA policy states that residents should not be in emergency accommodation for longer than six months, and that a plan to move them towards permanent housing must be developed within 90 days.

However, the funding for TEA facilities has significantly decreased, and there are not enough housing units available. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (Seri) argues that the issue is not just about TEA, but that there is a lack of affordable accommodation for low-income inner-city residents, and that temporary emergency accommodation should provide basic standards of living in dignity.