Homeless families find refuge in church
WHEN night falls, Glory of Generations Ministries at Windmill Park in Germiston is transformed into a refugee camp.
Families who became homeless after the Ekurhuleni metro council clamped down on illegal occupation of land squeeze together into the church as they no longer have a place to stay. The former backyard tenants left their landlords ’ premises to erect shacks in the open veld in an effort to fight crime in the area.
Community leader Michael Mcetywa said that after their efforts to patrol the area at night failed, they approached the backyard tenants.
“We were not getting support from the police when we patrolled. But, after a businessman who owned a spaza shop was killed, a man attacked in a car hijacking was also killed and a woman found dead one morning with a bottle inserted in her private parts, we decided we needed to close off the open veld.
“Trucks with stolen goods were parked here at night. People came to offload them and cars were stolen somewhere and stripped here.
“We then spoke to people living in the backyard shacks to come occupy this open space in an effort to close it down to criminals. They started stay- ing here on May 1. The council issued an order that it would evict them. We requested that it give them 30 days because the people who had left the backyards needed time to find alternative accommodation.
“However, on May 21 the Red Ants came here to evict people. They beat them and stole their property.”
Mcetywa said they had a meeting with the Ekurhuleni metro council on May 27, chaired by the council speaker, Patricia Khumalo, to discuss the matter. They would discuss it further at another meeting.
Pastor Siphiwe Hashe said he offered accommodation in the church because the people had become homeless. He could not say how long he would keep them.
Council spokesman Themba Gadebe confirmed that the community met council officials to discuss the matter. But, he insisted that land invasion was illegal and the council would not allow people to resort to criminal activities while claiming to be fighting crime.
He said the council will meet them again on Monday.