Eveleigh squatters becoming a growing concern
The people who made the area their home, however, denied that they are behind the attacks on passers-by.
An alleged attack on a woman while walking along the veld in Eveleigh has sparked concerns about the people squatting in the vacant piece of land on Rondebult Road, between Eveleigh Estate and K90 Shopping Centre.
Residents complained that, apart from creating an eyesore, the makeshift dwellings made from wooden boards and sheets of plastic, is apparently harbouring criminals who target passers-by, mostly women, travelling to work in the nearby businesses centres, including K90 and Retail Park.
A concerned resident, Alida van Krieken, told the Advertiser that in a recent incident, a woman complained that the people staying in the makeshifts in question held a big knife at her throat and robbed her of her cellphone.
“She said they told her that they know she walks past there every day and should she dare report the incident to the police, they will kill her. Needless to say, she did not report this and is scared out of her wits.
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“The woman has to pass their spot to get to work. When she reaches the spot, she starts running for her life.
“Apparently, they are also running a fearful campaign against domestic workers in that area. I tried to phone the police but there was no answer. I reported it to my local security group,” said Krieken.
The concerned residents demanded to know why authorities or the property owner are failing to take immediate action in removing the squatters, adding that the longer the issue to evict the squatters drags on, the more the vacant land is prone to land invaders.
The metro has not yet responded to our request for comment, and it is still unclear if the land is owned by the government or private property.
We are not criminals
The Advertiser has on September 9 visited the area occupied by three people just off the Rondebult Road verge.
Nkabinde, one of the people who have made the area their home, told this publication that he and his fellow residents have also witnessed a few incidents where passers-by using the pathways in the veld were robbed of their belongings. He, however, denied that the perpetrators stay in the nearby makeshifts.
“In fact, there are only three of us here, and we have on many occasions intervened to help targeted passers-by by giving chase to the robbers. We decided we were not going to look on while criminals come here to give our place a bad name.
“We are not robbers; we are hard workers who spend most of our time collecting recyclable materials and sell them to scrap yards for money to survive. Sometimes, we stand at the traffic lights waiting for people to offer us casual jobs.
“We have been staying here for a long time, and we don’t have another place to call home,” said Nkabinde.
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