Tragic passing of 91 year old Gogo Maswelekile Phetshana exposes service delivery failures in Port St Johns

The recent death of Gogo Maswelekile Phetshana, a 91-year-old resident of Cwebeni Village near Port St Johns, has brought to light the dire living conditions and service delivery failures faced by impoverished communities.

Gogo Phetshana, who passed away on 4 February, spent her entire life in the village, succumbing to the harsh realities of inadequate housing, lack of water, and sanitation services.

Gogo Maswelekile Phetshana at her house in Cwebeni Village, Port St Johns. She died on Sunday still waiting for water, electricity, a working toilet and a house.

Gogo Phetshana’s story is one of resilience and frustration.

Despite living in Cwebeni Village since 1939, she never received the promised house, running water, or a flushing toilet.

The elderly woman, who sustained herself and eight dependents with her pension, died on the floor of her mud house, having endured numerous floods and disasters that repeatedly destroyed her home.

Since 1994, authorities had promised Gogo Phetshana a house, running water, and sanitation facilities, pledges that were never fulfilled during her lifetime. Despite her continuous efforts to secure a better living environment for her family, she passed away without witnessing any improvement.

Cwebeni Village, plagued by natural disasters and collapsing traditional mud houses, is facing a severe service delivery crisis.

A petition sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Premier Oscar Mabuyane described the village’s challenges, including the lack of clean water for six years, damaged homes, insufficient food, absence of toilets in 40 families, and poor road conditions hindering access to essential services.

“The village has not had access to clean water in six years.”

There are 20 communal taps in the village but none of them have water.”

A hundred families were left destitute after their homes were damaged by severe weather.”

Over a hundred families said they did not have enough food. Forty families had no toilets.”

The terrible condition of the roads leading to and from the village makes it difficult for ambulances and school transport to reach them.”

“High travel costs made it very difficult for them to access the closest clinic.”

A view of Port St Johns in the 1960s.

The chairperson of the Cwebeni Community Development Forum Nceba Mamve said the situation in Cwebeni Village was very bad.

“The majority of households depend on social grants and in some households, there are more than seven family members, this is a poverty-stricken village,” he said.

“Some people go to bed with an empty stomach.”

“The majority of households depend on social grants, and in some households, there are more than seven family members. This is a poverty-stricken village. Some people go to bed with an empty stomach.”

Gogo Phetshana had applied for an RDP house around 1999, but it was never built.

There are reports that her allocated RDP house was given to someone else in Flagstaff.

She will be buried on 17 February 2024.

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