Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Informal settlement residents decry ‘illegal evictions’
THE Khoisan community claiming to be the original land owners of Knoflokskraal in Grabouw and Klutjieskraal in Wolseley, say the government is pushing them beyond their limits with illegal evictions and threats.
The residents spoke following a reported visit by employees of a security company to Knoflokskraal, who allegedly ordered a resident to vacate his home after he attempted to expand his property, last month.
The residents said the security team had been accompanied by police officers and that after failing to give the residents a court order for the eviction, they allegedly destroyed the extended structure and told them they would be back to order them to leave their homes.
The two informal settlements were allegedly established two years ago when, many said, they lost their income, could not afford to pay rent and invaded unoccupied land.
The two pieces of land belong to the national Department of Public Works and there have allegedly been illegal evictions.
“Our only defence was to demand the court order, which they couldn't provide. We want the municipality and the Department of Public Works to stop this. We are not criminals, we can't live in fear every day of our lives,” said Adnaan Backett, 58.
Patricia de Lille, minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, said: “The occupants were restricted from building new structures on the properties as per the containment order that is currently in place.”
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed police had attended to the matter.
Pojie confirmed that Wolseley police were investigating cases of malicious damage to property.
He said police were tasked with safeguarding the sheriff of the court and were not involved in the demolition of any structures, “nor the intimidation of such. The local authority usually appoints a company to execute the demolition of illegal structures as per court order or interdict”.
Andy Wynard, from the Knoflokskraal settlement, said authorities were quick to respond and attack people but disregarded important issues such as service delivery. He said Public Works needed to grant permits to the municipalities to provide services instead of fighting them over the land.
“We can't have this in our country, our soil and our inheritance,” said Yulanda Wakefield, chairperson of the Klutjieskraal core group, saying in the past month alone, about eight homes had been demolished, with the last incident on January 28.
De Lille said there was no eviction order against the said properties. She said the future of the property had not yet been determined since a lease with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment had expired.
“It is the responsibility of the local and provincial government to provide basic services and should the department be approached to give permission to supply services on that land, we will consider it.”