Councillor’s role in eviction queried
Beneficiary accuses neighbours of being ‘tribalistic’
BUFFALO City Metro councillor Phumla Yenana is in hot water over her involvement in the eviction of an RDP house beneficiary.
Yenana is accused of instructing police to throw Sinezile Mabhuda, 33, out of her RDP house in Mdantsane’s NU3.
The Daily Dispatch understands the eviction took place on Wednesday. BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said the metro was investigating the matter.
Cindi said the municipality would also investigate who had instructed law enforcement officials to carry out the eviction.
“The law enforcement police have a mandate to evict illegal occupants of houses but only after all proper processes have been followed.
“Law enforcement and the councillor will have to explain those processes because we are not aware of this.”
Cindi said councillors played an additional support role during evictions and should not be spearheading them.
Cindi said no one was aware of the matter, including city manager Nceba Ncunyana.
Cindi said neither Yenana nor Mabhuda had reported the matter to the municipality. “I’ve spoken to the city manager and he has told me that he was not aware.”
Cindi said the victim should go to the petitions office located in the the council speaker’s office to voice her grievances.
Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Yenana confirmed she was in possession of the keys of Mabuda’s house and would only hand them over to her once Mabuda had given a satisfactory explanation on how she got onto the allocation list.
Yenana said when she asked Mabuda how she had got a house when she had never seen her application for housing, Mabuda had said: “I’ll answer you in court”.
Mabuda said she had reported the matter several times to the municipality since receiving her approval letter in May.
The eviction happened