UPM vows to back residents in settlement

THE Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) has promised to fight alongside Lapland informal settlement residents in their effort to delay threatened action to evict them.

Yesterday, and on Monday, Lapland informal settlement residents closed all roads leading into their area in an effort to keep the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality from demolishing their shacks.

The UPM’s Ayanda Kota said his organisation felt the pain of the Uitenhage residents, and it was inhumane for the shack dwellers to be evicted when they had nowhere to go.

He said the organisation was pushing for the evictions to be delayed until next month.

The municipality was granted an order in May to demolish the shacks in Uitenhage within six months if the residents did not leave voluntarily.

According to Ward 45 councillor Monde Vaaltyn the shacks were set to be demolished on Monday and yesterday, but there were still final preparations to be made.

The area has about 600 shacks which house almost 1 000 people, according to residents.

The councillor said the evictions would go ahead as planned this week. “They will probably be carried out by Thursday.” On Monday, Vaaltyn said he had been pleading with residents to leave the area since last year as it was earmarked for a school.

“They invaded the land early last year, and when they did not heed the call to vacate, the municipality had to take them to court.

“They were given six months after the court order and they have not vacated the land,” he said.

“The six months ended in November, and even then we talked to them, asking them to demolish [the shacks]. Some wanted to, but were threatened by some of the leaders.”

Resident Janet Dirks said they were excited about the new possibility of holding off on the evictions until January. “The people of Lapland are happy with the outcome of today’s protest. We are really happy.”

The Lapland residents dispersed yesterday afternoon after a two-day protest.