This comes after the land owner, Living Africa Properties, sought a High Court order for the removal of the occupiers of the piece of land, known as ‘Angelo Dump’, located along Main Reef Road, Boksburg.
The court order states that residents have until February 1, 2015, to leave their homes voluntarily before being forcibly evicted.
Following the reports that their homes’ days are numbered, the angry residents now want answers from the metro about their future. More than 10 000 people could be left homeless if their homes are torn down next year.
“We want the municipality to come here and address us. We want to know if they have already made any contingency plans for the possible evictions.
“We are demanding to know why council stays silent about this matter. We have been left in limbo for years, and we are demanding answers as to why it took the metro so long to deliver on its promises,” says Thomas Sibuyi, a devastated community leader.
Residents are urging for a public meeting with municipal representatives regarding the planned eviction.
“We don’t want to hear the word ‘eviction’, rather ‘relocation’,” says Sibuyi.
“We will do everything in our power to fight against the evictions, except if the metro relocates us to an alternative place within Boksburg, and provide us with permanent stands with running water.”
The residents claim that the municipality was aware of the possibility of an eviction, all the while promising RDP houses.
“Now is the time to deliver on their promises before the looming evictions hit us,” adds Sibuyi.
The residents held a public meeting recently to discuss their concerns, however, no representative from the council came to address them.
They are now planning to request a presentation at their next public meeting.
Sibuyi reveals that the growing sense of unease among residents has provoked a fierce debate within the community, with people affiliated to the different political parties criticising one another.
Sibuyi appeals to members of the community to put aside their different political affiliations to deal with this matter as a community issue.
“People must stop hijacking this issue to use it as a tool for political point scoring.”
Ward 33 Clr Hillary Coke voiced solidarity with the residents of the informal settlement, adding that she will do her best to ensure that the affected people get helped.
“The metro has been promising RDP houses even before I became a ward councillor, but to date, nothing has happened. I will continue supporting these communities even when times are tough,” says Coke.
Coke says the matter is being handled by the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlement. – @FanieBoksburg
