Shacks removed in Milnerton
HUNDREDS of residents have been forcibly removed from a piece of City-owned land they have been illegally occupying for the past three weeks, claiming that they could not afford to rent space in the backyards of the formal settlement in Joe Slovo, Milnerton.
Residents who invaded the piece of land in Khozi Drive looked on yesterday as officials from the City’s anti-land-invasion unit descended on the township, dismantling 145 shacks.
One resident whose home was destroyed, Alex Sekotlo, watched helplessly as City officials tore down his home, placing his building materials in one of four trucks that were used to haul away what remained of the settlement.
“I have nowhere else to go as my landlord chased me out of his yard. Why has the City chosen a cold day to do this?” he asked.
But the City has condemned the invasion.
Sekotlo said he had invaded the land because many others from Joe Slovo had acted in concert.
According to Sekotlo, it was too expensive to rent space in a backyard in Joe Slovo where homeowners were squeezing out backyard dwellers in favour of converting their homes into multi-storey units to take advantage of a booming rental market in the township.
Several hours after the anti-land-invasion unit had left the site, Sekotlo had gathered corrugated iron and planks in the hope that he could rebuild his home.
“If they don’t want us to rebuild on the land, they must give us alternative land,” he said.
Yesterday was the fourth time that the City had dismantled illegally built shacks in Joe Slovo.
The mayco member for Area North, Suzette Little, said four truckloads of material had been removed.
“This action was taken in line with an order of the court obtained by the City that prevents anyone from invading the land,” she said.
The Sheriff of the Court had placed visible noticeboards on the site and addressed the community directly when the City applied for the interdict to protect the land.
“It should be noted that there is an ongoing community consultation process under way with regard to the future use of this land,” said Little.
She said although the City empathised with the plight of Sekotlo and other residents, “we simply cannot allow the illegal invasion of land”.
“Our residents know which channels to follow and we are always open to engagement, but we cannot support illegal actions. It will not improve the lives of our vulnerable residents,” Little said.
During June, parents demonstrated outside the site when the provincial education department executed an interdict to remove a makeshift school there that accommodated nearly 400 pupils.
Parents wanted the school registered, and the education department to provide essentials such as chairs, desks and crayons. But the department said its lease on the land had ended and the mobile classrooms were needed at other schools.