The Long Walk | Residents used as free security guards at invaded flats
They moved in illegally. They know it. But they had nowhere else to go.
Themba Ndlovu has lived in the invaded Shalimar Ridge flats for eight years. The buildings stood empty for a decade before desperate people decided to make them home. Now the municipality has cut the electricity without warning, leaving about 70 children in the dark during winter.
Residents say they are willing to pay for prepaid meters, but nobody is listening. They also feel used as free security guards for the site, keeping it safe until government figures out what to do with it.
With local elections approaching, Themba doubts anything will change. He says the building has been there for 10 years and politicians have done nothing.
This is his story.
Subscribe to Daily Sun for more stories that matter.
#dailysun #ShalimarRidge #elections2026 #housingcrisis #southafrica #InformalSettlement #localelections
