Eviction drive is rent scam, say Crown Mines residents

About 20 Crown Mines families in Johannesburg have vowed to fight until the end after they were served with eviction notices by Central Johannesburg TVET College (CJC), to vacate properties which they have stayed in for more 40 years.

Notice

They were given notice on 15 December to vacate their homes by 31 March because of a “possible collapse of the ground they were built on”.

According to the residents, the houses and a nearby college belonged to Crown Mines. However when the mine shut down its operations in the area, the houses and the college were given to the department of public works. “Public works then leased the college and the houses to Rand Teachers College.

The people who were hired by Rand Teachers College were then given houses to stay in. They signed contracts and there was no exit time.

It’s just like the hostel contracts where the [rented] houses are passed on within the family,” said a resident.

Investigation

The group have requested their details be kept anonymous, fearing a backlash. According to an eviction notices seen by The Citizen, current lease owners CJC commissioned a multidisciplinary team of scientists to conduct investigations into certain buildings of its former campus as “cracks had become visible”.

CJC has not responded to The Citizen’s requests for comment. CJC’s geotechnical report purportedly reveal: -Low bearing capacity of the ground; and

-Possible collapse of the ground and buildings on the premises.

According to CJC, the college took a decision to vacate the premises of their Smith Campus and the management “could not countenance negotiating tenancy at the expense of people’s lives as the place had become unsafe and inhabitable”.

One of the residents, however, brushed this off, saying the maintenance manager only went to view one of the abandoned houses and concluded, without visiting all the houses, that the houses were unsafe.

Cases

The resident alleges similar tactics were made in 2012 to remove them. “There was a case in 2012 which went to the High Court.

They were trying to remove residents but residents won that case. “Last year, the previous administrator told us to stop paying because monies meant for rent were being paid into different accounts, which we think were fictitious accounts,” she said. She said the only reason residents were being forced to move was that whoever was in charge of the removals, wanted to make money by renting the houses out to other people.

NOW READ: Rental scam artist bust