Sedgefield, DSTV in an Informal Home in Smutsville
Sophia is a grandmother who has been living in an informal dwelling in the Gaaitjie settlement in Smutsville in Sedgefield, for almost 20 years. Gaaitjie is located on an old dump-site and the Department of Water Affairs won’t approve formalization of the area because of concerns regarding sinkholes and potential methane gas release. In the meantime, over 120 households in the settlement share 5 communal toilets and 2 taps. Sophia used to run a generator for lighting and TV, but that became too expensive with the increases in the petrol price, and she had reverted to using candles and paraffin lamps for lighting, and doing without TV.