WATCH: Some get Fleurhof flats, others left homeless after Red Ants eviction

After scores of people were evicted in Fleurhof, Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg on Tuesday, Johannesburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo has arrived in the area on Wednesday to hand over more than 100 housing units to beneficiaries.

Executive Mayor, @GeoffMakhubo hands over houses in Fleurhoff today. Fleurhof is one of the Gauteng’s largest integrated housing projects that will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. The project consists of various types of housing opportunities and forms of tenure. pic.twitter.com/HecGHi04sK

— ANC Greater Johannesburg Region (@ANCJHB) August 26, 2020

Although the handover ceremony is not happening where an army of Red Ants evicted hundreds on Tuesday, Makhubo says the city was proud to assist those who had been patiently waiting to be accommodated for years.

“You are home,” Makhubo told one beneficiary, with another beneficiary Raymond Dennis admitting that he was happy to finally have his own place after living in a backyard for years.

“The greatest effect of apartheid was to make those downtrodden homeless.

“We aim to provide homes to those who have been marginalised. As the city of Johannesburg, together with the province, we have embarked on major projects, which Fleurhof falls a part of.”

About 21,000 beneficiaries are expected to occupy the units, with Makhubo noting that the project which had been a long coming, meant qualifying beneficiaries would finally have a home.

The aftermath of evictions in the area on Tuesday left many people homeless, with several others camping overnight – next to their belongings.

Those left homeless are alleged to have illegally occupied units for over three years.

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