Eskom vs residents: Legal tug-of-war over houses in Standerton

Eskom and Mpumalanga residents, who reportedly occupied houses owned by the power utility without permission, are waging a legal battle.

It started when more than 16 families of Kosmos Park in Standerton allegedly occupied Eskom’s “abandoned” houses without consent in 2021.

Now Eskom is trying to evict them but they refuse to go and demand that they be allowed to buy the houses.

Eskom allegedly housing criminals

Residents said this week they occupied the houses as criminals and drug addicts were using the premises.

One of the occupiers, Collen Sikhakhane, said when Eskom saw the houses had been renovated they took the residents to court for trespassing, but lost the case.

“Before moving into the houses we approached Eskom and told them their dilapidated structures were housing criminals and causing crime in the area,” said Sikhakhane.

“We asked them to allow us to use them for business but they did not give us straight answers.

“We went back to them again to ask them to sell us the houses but we did not get answers, while criminals continued using the structures.

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“That’s when we moved in and renovated the houses. But before we moved in criminals were using the place to hide stolen goods and electricity cables.

“After charging us with trespassing failed twice, in March they sent an eviction order which we rejected.

“We instructed our legal team to file an urgent court application to oppose it, but the case was thrown out by the Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Middelburg.

“Our lawyers are approaching the Constitutional Court to challenge the eviction.”

Residents willing to buy back

Sikhakhane said they were ready to purchase the houses, should Eskom give them a price.

He added that residents were surprised to see the sheriff of the court coming to evict them, even though their lawyers were challenging the eviction order.

One of the residents present when the sheriff tried to evictthem said: “They just broke the door and started moving things.

“We phoned our lawyers. That’s when they stopped and left.

“They should just give us the houses because of the state in which we found them. They were so dilapidated and we put a lot of effort into revamping them.”

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Residents’ lawyer Mabu Marweshe said: “Our instruction is to approach the Constitutional Court since the high court dismissed an urgent exparte application to stay the eviction.

“We have been told the sheriff has been instructed to postpone the eviction, but the lawyers are not confirming this.”

Mabu said on Wednesday, officials sent by the sheriff of the court tried to evict people.

There has been no response to questions sent to Eskom.

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