Illegal residents return to flats, and invade more

DESPITE the Department of Human Settlements having obtained a court order to evict Mamelodi backyard dwellers illegally occupying flats in Nellmapius last year, the residents have occupied more flats in the area.

The Red Ants pounced on the 500 illegal residents who were occupying the flats on Solomon Mahlangu Drive following the court order.

But yesterday, the department approached the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in a bid to get yet another court order to evict the dwellers from the recently occupied flats.

Despite this, the residents yesterday vowed that they would not budge and declared “they did what needed to be done”.

They held placards with messages clearly stating that they were not moving out, while chanting and dancing outside court during the brief proceedings.

The case, heard in the Palace of Justice, was postponed to tomorrow.

The flats, which can be seen along Solomon Mahlangu Drive, have two bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen and toilet and shower.

Although without taps or basic services such as electricity meters and running water, occupants said it was better than living in a crowded yard with parents. Despite the eviction, they have moved back in and invaded even more flats.

One of the leaders, Sipho Malaza, yesterday said they forcefully occupied the new flats last year, saying they could not wait any longer for the City to allocate the houses.

He complained that Mamelodi residents were not getting first preference for the units, and that “outsiders” and people who recently registered for houses were inclined to live in them.

He said people from other provinces were occupying what rightfully belonged to the people of Mamelodi.

“We are sick and tired of the system that the department is using to allocate our people into the RDP houses. We have been waiting for so many years for their help, being promised that we will get assistance but it is not happening but instead they are pushing corruption,” he said.

There were people who have been waiting for houses for almost three decades, he said.

“There are people from 1994 who are registered to get houses, but they are still waiting, yet you have people who registered between 2009 and 2015 who have houses and we are surprised by that.

“We forcefully occupied the houses illegally because we were promised in 2016 that all the backyard dwellers would be allocated houses.”