Evicted Lakeview residents want R200 000, not R2 000

Residents of Lakeview informal settlement who were illegally evicted by the City of Joburg have rejected its offer of R2 000 compensation, insisting on R200 000 each.

During the 2020 Covid pandemic lockdown, the city instructed the Red Ants to evict about 160 people and allegedly took away their belongings.

Their legal team are currently challenging the eviction. Community leader Ourial Ramokgola confirmed the residents rejected the offer.

Watch: Council demolishes home ‘by mistake’ at Ennerdale’s Lakeview informal settlement

“The pain that we went through during that brutal eviction was unbearable. “So, it is an insult to us when the city says it is willing to give us that small amount.

“People lost their belongings, including building materials worth a lot of money, while some residents never recovered from the tragedy,” said Ramokgola.

“As community members, we are all not happy with the offer and we instructed our lawyers to reject the deal and demand a payment of R200 000 for each violated family.

“We are meeting with our lawyers next week. The aim is to make sure that all the affected families are being well compensated so that they will be able to rebuild their demolished structures and buy the things that they lost during the eviction.”

R2 000 on offer

Ramokgola said since the municipality failed to produce an eviction order, they are now trying to settle the matter out of the court.

The Citizen saw a letter written by the municipal lawyers whereby they stated that their client intended to pay R2 000 to each family that they evicted.

But the lawyer representing the families, Mabu Marweshe, responded with: “We are in possession of the proposed tender from your offices in which your client extends a tender of R2 000 per plaintiff.

“We have taken instructions to present a counter-proposal to your client. The amount proposed is R200 000 per plaintiff.

“Our clients will then waiver their rights to proceed with any legal action against the city which is inclusive of pain and suffering, damages, criminal charges inter alia in this matter of unlawful eviction and demolition of the homes of our clients.”

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Marweshe said should the municipality fail to pay, they would abandon the negotiation and proceed with court actions.

The matter was heard and dismissed by the High Court in Johannesburg. It is unclear why the municipality has agreed to enter into negotiations with the residents.

City of Joburg spokesperson Virgil James has not responded to the questions sent to him at the time of going to press.