Squatters evicted illegally’
A COMMUNITY of homeless people were illegally evicted from a privately owned commercial stand along Grand Central Avenue in Midrand, the group’s lawyer, Kgadima Kekana, said yesterday.
“When I asked the police to show me an eviction letter, they couldn’t. Instead, I was asked if I could show them a letter that allows the homeless people to stay there,” he said.
The community of about 350 people, most of whom are unemployed and rely on collecting boxes and plastic on Midrand streets to make a living, were evicted on Monday and have moved to another empty commercial stand opposite their earlier home.
Kekana wants to take the fight to court.
“The city of Johannesburg cannot evict these people without giving them 15 days’ notice. They have also neglected to provide alternative accommodation,” he said.
The “victims” said they will not move out of Midrand as they relied on the town to make a living. One of them, Tozabenko Sikhundla, said another place might not offer them the same “resources”.
He said they were evicted by force and some documents such as identity documents and other personal belongings were burnt by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD). The JMPD had yet to respond to Sowetan by the time of going to print.