UPDATE: Road Five property owner to push for eviction
Residents refuse to move out of fear of having court order executed
Following the fire that ripped through the Road Five informal settlement in Van Wyk Road on June 3, the owner of the property is now pushing to ensure that an eviction notice that was granted in 2014 be executed.
The City Times reported that the fire left about 700 people, mostly women and children, destitute with residents refusing relief aid.
According to William Ntladi, DEMS district manager media liaison, the victims of the blaze have not yet been moved to the temporary shelter as they have refused CoE’s offer to be relocated to the Benoni Town Hall as well as the Impala Park Community Centre.
The owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, believes that swift action is now needed to execute the long-awaited evection before the residents again occupy the property illegally.
“I purchased this property in 2012 with the prospect of building storage units,” he said.
“The squatters were already here and it has been an uphill battle to have them removed, although the CoE and I were successful in our bid to secure a court-ordered eviction.
“The process has been delayed due to Covid-19 as well as the lack of funding needed to complete the process.”
The property owner claims that he needs to pay the Red Ants close to R500 000 to conduct the removal.
In the wake of the fire, many business owners in the area questioned officials as to why the Department of Home Affairs were not on the scene to verify the status of the residents, with many claiming that the area is home to foreign nationals,
“The emergency relief intervention by the CoE does not require the separation of victims as South Africans and non-citizens,” said Ntladi.
“Relief intervention is non-discriminatory so there was no need to call Home Affairs to verify the legality of the victims. This is per International Humanitarian Law that governs humanitarian relief efforts.”
He said that reports have been received that the situation in Van Wyk Road is growing volatile but ensured that the EMPD is monitoring the situation.
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