Metro to be taken to court over Angelo move
An urgent interdict to prohibit the move of the Angelo informal settlement to Germiston.
As building on the site where the Boksburg-based Angelo informal settlement residents will be moved to, just off Main Reef Road, in Germiston, continues, the fight by local residents has just begun.
At a follow-up public meeting, held last Saturday, at Hoërskool Goudrif, Primrose, Sector One chairperson Debbie Watkins told the community that it had been decided that an urgent interdict to prohibit the move will be applied for.
The relocation of the residents onto unsafe mining land (close to the Marlands mini-dump) will not only affect them but also the surrounding suburbs, including Marlands and Witfield.
Lynette Nance-Kivell, from Nance-Kivell Attorneys, a civil and litigation expert and a Marlands resident, said after researching all the facts, she felt they had a strong application.
Although two local businesses have put some funding towards the legal costs, more is needed to take the matter to court, and an appeal was made to the residents to donate R100 per resident to help cover the costs.
Also present at the meeting were Ward 92 councillor Tiziana Plaskitt and Mike Waters, MP DA constituency head: Lethabong.
Waters told the crowd that he had handed the residents’ petition over to parliament and in a later communication with the GCN he said he had received a notification informing him that the petition has been referred to the portfolio committee.
He had also brought the matter to the attention of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and has received a notification informing him that the SAHRC will assess the complaint to determine whether it falls within the mandate of the SAHRC or whether it should be dealt with by another organisation, institution, statutory body or institution created by the constitution or any other applicable legislation.
Waters also submitted questions in the National Assembly and received a number of replies.
With regard to the structures to be built on the land, the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements responded that the type of structures are temporary, L-shaped IBR sheeting structures with insulation inside and 100mm slab for flooring.
The total of 565 structures will be built and the residents will be there for a period of two to three years if there are no delays in the Comet Village housing project.
The reply also stated that the property will be fenced off to protect the residents from the railway line, the mineshaft and the sinkhole.
Furthermore, the residents will be provided with water standpipes and chemical toilets, refuse removal once a week and electricity services will also be provided, subject to budget availability.
Plaskitt added that Clr Ashley Hoods, the ward councillor for Ward 33, in which Angelo falls, took the leaders of the informal settlement to the proposed site and they were “horrified” at what they saw.
“The residents are angry and are demanding to have a meeting with the metro’s department of human settlements,” Plaskitt said.
“There is a lot of land suitable for housing in the metro so why have they chosen unsuitable land?”
Nance-Kivell urged the community to get involved in the fight to have the move prohibited and to stand together.
Residents can make donations for the legal costs into the following bank account: Nance-Kivell Attorneys Trust; Bank: Absa; Account number: 4078074988; Branch code: 632005; Reference: Your physical address and the word ‘Angelo’.
Related articles:
Council’s plan to move Angelo residents is full of cracks
Too many unanswered questions about Angelo move
Alert: Public meeting to discuss Angelo informal settlement move to border Marlands
ALERT: CPF to hold follow-up public meeting on Angelo move
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