Residents brace for a fight-back to evictions
ALEXANDRA – Residents of Ext 7 to protest against evictions by Dudula.
Residents of Ext 7 in Alex are living in fear of illegal evictions from RDP houses by a group they said pretends to target foreign nationals. The evictions are part of the housing saga in Alexandra dating back many years. It’s alleged the perpetrators are also armed.
Asking to speak anonymously, a group of women gathered next to belongings of recently evicted families claimed their pleas for intervention were seemingly ignored by the authorities – police, the ward councillor and the City’s Department of Housing, who allegedly deflected the matter among each other. The evictions are also occurring simultaneously with separate investigations by the Joburg City Council, the provincial government and jointly by the Public Protector and the Human Rights Commission on alleged corruption in the allocation of the RDP houses.
Some are said to have been sold or rented by the officials to foreign nationals which disadvantages those on the housing waiting list. Other beneficiaries are said to be undeserving citizens who rent them out while they stay in shacks. Skeptics, however, have no hope in the investigations citing the delay in their conclusion.
The group of women opposed the evictions, saying they are heartless acts by the perpetrators, called Dudula, who left the victims out in the cold. They said the victimised families’ children were affected and can’t be properly prepared for their next school day. They claimed the perpetrators locked them out with strict instructions that any attempt to reoccupy the houses would be at their own risk.
This the group said, has left the victims at the mercy of caring neighbours who also risked being targeted for their altruism. “As humans, we are forced to ensure they are fed, bathed and exercised their Constitutional rights to basic livelihoods.”
They claimed the perpetrators have warned that no one undeserving of the houses will be spared. This, despite some victims providing evidence through identity documents, deeds of transfer and housing allocation documents to prove their legitimacy.
The group is said to dismiss the documents as fake and confiscate others making it difficult for the victims to prove their cases to the gathered residents who said they were mobilising for fight-back protests starting this weekend. “We need to unite for our rights as we all are potential victims of the evictions which should, where appropriate, be done by lawful authorities.”
They worry that some among them who were allocated the houses after the evictions heightened tensions among erstwhile friendly neighbours. “If we remain divided, we will be left to fight each other resulting from an initial illegal act by the perpetrators.”
Meanwhile, the evicted families were said to be scrambling to secure their items after the perpetrators allegedly threatened to take them to the dump. This after other belongings were allegedly stolen or disappeared during the evictions.
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