Illegal Shaka’s Head squatters square up for eviction fight

Residents of the illegal Shaka’s Head informal settlement on the North Coast are determined to oppose any eviction order granted by the court.

Although a Pietermaritzburg High Court date has yet to be confirmed, the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) expects the case to be heard next month or in October and is confident the court will order an eviction.

The residents were recently served with court papers by a sheriff, marking the first step in addressing the land occupation.

Located near Ballito’s entrance along the P445 road, the settlement was established during the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost a thousand shacks now occupy land initially reserved for a clinic or a much-needed public high school.

Trevor Greyling, a member of the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Western Areas Residents Committees, said residents of the estates surrounding the informal settlement are preparing a petition to be submitted to the KwaDukuza Municipality.

The petition will outline various grievances and issues caused by the settlement’s residents, including noise disturbances. Greyling added that community safety and security concerns are escalating. KDM human settlements officials have reached out to nearby residents to record their concerns, which will be presented in court.

Ready to fight eviction

One of the settlement’s committee members, Ntombekhaya Ludziya, said they will fight any eviction order.

“We moved here out of desperation. Life in the township is too expensive, and many of us don’t have permanent jobs,” she said.

Ludziya pointed out that most residents used to rent in Shaka’s Head but could no longer afford it, forcing them to seek free accommodation to meet their basic needs.

When asked if they knew the land was reserved for development, Ludziya said the community had been promised a school or clinic for years, but nothing had materialised.

The municipality had suggested relocating residents to Vlakspruit at Esenembe, where low-cost housing was planned, but this depended on approval and funding from the Department of Human Settlements.

As in Taffeni in Sheffield, where residents rejected relocation plans, Shaka’s Head settlement residents remain resolute in their refusal to move. In Taffeni, the municipality is now building houses on the land that people had illegally occupied, and they have to include them in the project.

“We’re open to considering a move, but only if it’s somewhere near Ballito because that’s where we find work. People here walk to Ballito every day to look for jobs. Moving to Vlakspruit would make this impossible,” Ludziya said.

The settlement has been blamed for frequent power outages in the area due to illegal electricity connections. However, Ludziya argued that the power issues began long before the settlement was established.

“People in townships often add multiple rooms to their RDP houses, which strains the electricity supply. This problem existed before we arrived,” she said.

KwaDukuza Municipality spokesperson Sifiso Zulu said the issue is under consideration by the court and declined to comment further.