Marievale Army update
"Nobody was forcefully removed from the Marievale Military base, nor did we evict anyone. This land belongs to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and we needed to conduct a reconnaissance during which we could profile people who were living on the army premises. What came out in the end, was that people felt intimidated and moved out voluntary, because they did not want to be surrounded by the military police vehicles and soldiers on patrols every day."
This was the opening statement by Col MR Mkhize during a briefing, held in collaboration with City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) MMC for human settlements Lesiba Mpya, at the Marievale Military base on September 8.
She was referring to the incident that took place on 30 November 2017 when around 600 civilians that occupied the run-down military base, were made to leave the premises. However, among the hundreds of illegal occupants, there were also a number of legal occupants such as Willie Koekemoer who had lived there since 1970’s, and former military veteran Chris Koetsioe, who both became prominent figures in days to follow.
After the eviction, many people had nowhere else to go and moved into Happiness Village – an informal settlement next to the military base where they erected make shift shacks to provide shelter against the elements. The land on which Happiness Village was established however, also belongs to the SANDF (as per demarcation by National Department of Public Works) and again they faced unavoidable eviction or relocation elsewhere.
Steered by the late Willie Koekemoer, several evicted families turned to the Lawyers for Human Rights for assistance and on 29 January 2018, they made their first appearance before the North Gauteng High Court.
The court ruled that the evictions were illegal and a subsequent appeal from the SANDF was then dismissed, because of a lack of substantial evidence to show that the evictions were legally conducted. On 9 May 2018, High Court judge Norman Davis granted an order against the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) declaring the evictions illegal and ordered that the evicted families be restored to their homes within 30 days of granting the order.
The order further stated that where restoration was not possible, the SANDF was obliged to make provision for adequate alternative accommodation.
For many the victory was short-lived, especially after Koekemoer took his own life in July 2018. As the court battle continues to this day, the CoE has teamed up with the SANDF to provide accommodation for former Marievale residents.
According to Col Mkhize, 116 households have since been relocated to Zamani in Duduza, while another 94 households are still awaiting relocation. Col Mkhize said the aim of the briefing was to shed light on the negative situation that unfolded in 2017 and to report on the progress that has been made since to restore dignity of those that have been affected by it.
Following the briefing at the military base, MMC Mpya and Col Mkhize set off on a walk-about to inspect the living conditions at Zamani, where some residents expressed excitement and gratitude towards the human settlements department for their new homes after being relocated from Happiness Village.
“The accommodation we are providing in Zamani is to prepare them for the John Dube housing project, which will be complete in around two years. While they are waiting, we will provide them with services such as water, electricity and toilets. However, proper government procedure will be followed in the allocation of houses as applicants must meet all the requirements to qualify for housing,” MMC Mpya concluded.
