Angelo residents ready for war as mass eviction looms

This comes after the land owner, Living Africa Properties, sought a High Court order for the removal of more than 10 000 people who stay on the piece of land, known as ‘Angelo Dump’, located along Main Reef Road, Boksburg.

According to the residents’ committee, the South Gauteng High Court had in August granted an order in favour of the applicant, to remove the thousands of unlawful occupiers of the property in question.

According to the court order, the residents of the area have until February 1, 2015, to leave their homes voluntarily before being forcibly evicted.

According to the document, the municipality is the third respondent in the case, and residents asserted that it was also part of the court proceedings, “but they didn’t even bother to inform the affected residents about the court ruling”.

Thus, residents have not been provided with alternative accommodation.

The suspicious community leaders have approached the court this month and learned of their impending disaster.

The court issued them with the document stating that their homes’ days are numbered.

The vast majority of the residents have been caught out by news of possible eviction from their homes since September 20, when community leaders conveyed the message to all residents of the area during a public meeting, which was held at the Angelo sportsground, on Saturday, September 20.

Ward Clr Hillary Coke turned up for the Saturday meeting, but the angry residents are said to have refused to give her a chance to address them, forcing her to leave the area.

She could not be reached on her cellphone to confirm this, and it is unclear why she was not welcomed.

During the public meeting, residents vowed that they will do everything in their power to fight against the evictions, adding that they will not move.

“Living Africa and the municipality have kept us in the dark about the legal proceeding and the looming evictions.

“Why didn’t they tell us about the court proceeding? Is it because they wanted to catch us unaware? We are not going anywhere, it will never happen. We have been staying here since 1994,” says one of the community leaders.

Before an eviction order is carried out, the residents want the municipality to intervene and arrange alternative land for them.

The residents, however, state that they will only accept the offer (a new place) on conditions that it is within Boksburg, and each of them is provided with a permanent stand with running water.

“We do not want a temporary relocation area. We want permanent stands. The government have been promising us better lives during electioneering periods, now is the time to deliver.

“The municipality must not tell us that there isn’t enough time to satisfy our demands before the D-day, because we have been for all these years begging them to buy this land and build us RDP houses.

“They should have acted long before the owner decided to evict us,” says the leader.

Failure to meet their demands, the residents warned that they will defend their homes with anti-eviction protests, and indicated that they are intending to apply for an urgent court interdict to stop their evictions.

The community leaders said they are in the process of filling a responding affidavit in the South Gauteng High Court opposing the court order in favour of Living Africa.

Residents said that the notices to vacate the area were not handed to the residents, but a bundle of notices, indicating that they must vacate the area was recently found dumped on one of the tiny streets of the area.

Since then they have heard nothing from both Living Africa and the municipality.

“It’s clear that they want a war and it is a war that they will get. We won’t move from this land, let them come and evict us. We will meet fire with fire,” they warned.

James Thomas of Living Africa confirmed that an eviction order has been granted requiring the property to be vacated by February 1, 2015.

“The court order for eviction has been sent for service and has probably already been served by the sheriff of the court,” says Thomas.

Regarding the future plans, he says Living Africa wants to develop a world class mixed use development incorporating housing, industrial and other commercial uses.

The metro was also approached for comment, but has not yet responded. – @FanieBoksburg