Forceful eviction leaves 20 homeless
Beds, furniture and other belongings were left on the pavement, leaving tenants destitute for the night.
ABOUT 20 people were left stranded with their belongings on the pavement in Stella Road after a forceful eviction of a private property on the night of Tuesday, 14 October. According to reports, most tenants came home to find their beds and furniture already on the pavement as they were at work when the eviction happened.
Among the evicted was a six months pregnant woman who told reporters that she had lived in the house for a decade and, together with other tenants, said they had been paying R600 per month for rent. Ward 65 councillor, Chris van den Burg, said the eviction was carried out legally; however, the tenants disagreed.
“The owner of the property went to court and obtained an eviction notice and the tenants were served. His lawyers then contacted me and asked me to intervene as a ward councillor,” Van den Berg expailned. He said the notice was delivered about eight months to about a year ago.
“It is unfortunate that they were forced out, but they had ample time to leave. When I intervened, I came to them and explained the eviction process. They understood what I was saying but seemed not to care,” said Van den Burg. Although the tenants understood that they had to vacate the property, the councillor said that they then asked to be given a house to substitute the one they were losing.
Attorney, Yusuf Cassim of Yusuf Cassim and Associates, said the tenants started living illegally on the property in 2012 and that they had had ample time to leave.
“The court order was obtained in March, when most or some of the tenants were present. We went as far as asking the ward councillor to explain to them what all this meant,” explained Cassim. He added that after their refusal to move, they had no other choice but to have them forcefully removed.
