Residents fearful of properties sell-off

GLORIA Steeman, 73, fears she might lose her house after the department of public works informed her of its intention to sell the property that has been home to her for 36 years.

Steeman’s fears started about a month ago when she was visited by officials from the department who told her they wanted to sell useless property and empty plots belonging to the state.

She says Hamburg residents were never consulted or given first preference.

“Some of us are elderly and have lived here all our lives. We live on state grants so now how do they expect us to buy plots for up to R300 000? This is really hurting, I have invested a lot in this plot,” she said.

Steeman started living near Hamburg beach in 1974. However, the apartheid government then moved black people away from the beach and gave those houses to white people.

She said her home was turned into a clinic.

Steeman, whose late husband was from Netherlands, leased her current home from the former Hamburg municipality for R25 a month.

After the Ciskei government took over in 1961, she bought the plot for R23 000. “I still don’t have a title deed but I have kept my receipts. In 1989 my mom’s house burnt down and I applied for a plot behind my house. Around 1995 the municipality offered to sell it to me for R6 000, but public works took over and froze all such sales,” Steeman said.

To pay their leases when public works took over, she said, they would travel to Bhisho at R30 for a return trip to pay the lease of R25 at the time.

She is not the only resident facing the prospect of losing her home.

Karen Cummings, 62, said she had moved to Hamburg from East London in 1999 after taking a lease in 1994.

She said there was a wooden house but when she and her family went back to clean the yard after three months, the house was gone.

“We reported the matter to the Hamburg municipality and a council resolution was taken that we should rebuild out of our own pockets,” Cummings said.

She said in 1999 they were told they could not put private property on government land.

Cummings said her husband Fraser, 66, has had a stroke from stress related to the debacle.

“This is very painful for us. Why did they wait for us to go on pension and live on government grants then want to take our home,” she said holding back tears.

But public works spokeswoman Vuyokazi Mbanjwa said the department had intended to sell 56 residential plots but it has since withdrawn four as they were occupied.

She said plots where people had lease agreements would not be sold.

Mbanjwa said occupants with valid lease agreements would be given first preference.

She said properties subject to land restitution claims would not be disposed of.