Illegal occupiers of Mamelodi flats refuse to move out

A group of Mamelodi residents who unlawfully occupied 550 rental apartments owned by the Gauteng department of human settlements three years ago are refusing to move out.

The group, most of them former backyarders, occupied vacant units in Nellmapius Extension 22 in March 2019. The following month, they were evicted by Red Ant Security Relocation & Eviction Services after the department obtained an eviction order in the High Court in Pretoria.

The group returned to occupy the flats in Mamelodi three days later.

Community leader Iggy Nkosi said they first occupied the RDP houses opposite the rental units in 2016 but were evicted three days later. When community representatives met Tshwane housing officials, they were told that beneficiaries had already been allocated to the homes.

“We were promised to be squeezed in on the list for the remaining houses but that didn’t happen. So we invaded the flats,” said Nkosi.

Most people living in the apartments are unemployed or rely on piecemeal jobs and social grants. Nkosi said since their last meeting in 2019, there has not been a resolution.

Following the group’s eviction in 2019, leader Grace Silaule said their lawyer proposed to the Gauteng government’s attorney that the occupiers be given services in exchange for paying a reasonable rental fee.

City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said they were waiting on the human settlements department to decide on the future of the apartments.

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“It is our wish that the units can be reclaimed and be allocated to beneficiaries who are earning
between R3,500 to R7,500 who were rejected through the fully subsidised category,” he said.

But Mashigo denied the occupants’ claims the flats were left vacant for nearly three years. He said the Mamelodi units were invaded while they were still under construction.

Gauteng human settlements spokesperson Tahir Sema said they plan to evict the occupants.

“We have been granted an eviction order, which will be implemented once all the internal processes have been followed.”

The installation of internal services, paving and fencing of the units still needs to be completed.