Residents refuse to vacate flats to make way for student accommodation
Three blocks to be allotted to students
THE tenants of three blocks of flats in Warwick Avenue are refusing to vacate the premises after they were issued with eviction notices to make room for student accommodation.
The 29 families of the flats, situated on Syringa Avenue, say they will fight tooth and nail as this is the only home they have known.
Three months ago, a month’s notice was served to residents of Bailey Court, Krishna Court and Rosemont Court.
Youlene Johns, 44, a school secretary, who has lived at Rosemont Court for 18 years, said it was unfair that the landlord and owner, ME Bassa, wanted to kick them out, especially after they had been promised an option to buy the flats.
“The landlord held an informal meeting with us last May. He said he was getting old and wanted to sell the building. He said we could buy the flats at R75 000 per unit. Some of us were excited and I, for one, was prepared to pay the amount,” said Johns.
But in November the tenants were served with the eviction notices. They were apparently told the building would now accommodate students.
Concerned they would be out on the streets, Johns held a tenant meeting and contacted the chairperson of the Organisation of Civic Rights, Sayed Iqbal Mohamed. He said that while he understood the need for student accommodation, families should not have to suffer as a result.
“We believe that since tertiary institutions are paying for student accommodation – inflated rentals, at that – some landlords’ greed has made them oblivious to the suffering evictions are causing.”
He said the rent-to-own principle should have been implemented in the area years ago, with subsidies offered to enable residents to become flat owners.
“Instead, we are seeing wealthy property developers moving in and displacing entire families.”
He said he wrote to the landlord, complaining about eight private security personnel, some allegedly armed, who tried to forcibly remove several tenants.
Mohamed said the security guards left when the tenants demanded to see court orders that stipulated they must be evicted.
They had allegedly mentioned they were acting on the instructions of a Mahmood Limalia, who was leasing the building from Bassa and who intended buying the property to convert into a student residence.
Bassa said he would investigate.
Limalia denied forcing residents out of their homes, but said he was offering a stipend to those who agreed to move out.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said it had no ties to the property. It was a matter those involved had to sort out.