Residents protest as shacks are demolished

SEVERAL more families have had their shacks demolished by law enforcement officers in Mpolweni, Khayelitsha.

Yesterday, residents protested along Baden Powell Drive, demanding an end to the demolitions. They brought traffic to a stop, and cars had to use alternative routes during the morning peak-hour traffic.

Resident Sizakele Dyani said law enforcement officers usually gave them notice as to when they would arrive. But that suddenly stopped, he said.

Dyani moved on to the land in September with his partner, he said. “The children are getting thrown around as well,” he said.

Residents did not get a chance to move their belongings yesterday, he said, and children lost their stationery and school uniforms during the demolitions.

Resident Yandisa Shushu said: “I applied for an RDP house back in 1999, but I don’t even appear on the waiting list,” he said, adding that an elderly woman was admitted to hospital after yesterday’s demolitions.

Ward councillor Xolisa Ngwekazi said: “I am trying to help where I can.”

Mayco member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi said: “The City will continue to remove unoccupied and illegal structures to prevent the illegal occupation of land because when land is invaded or when attempts are made to occupy the land, we move backward rather than forward.”

Booi said that based on advice from legal professionals, yesterday’s removal was not an eviction.

“Numerous newly established communities are demanding services, but currently the City is unable to cater to these unplanned settlements, as existing recognised informal settlements are prioritised on the basis of available resources, which are not limitless,” he said.

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