Government allegedly uses bulldozer to force vagrants to leave
KENSINGTON B – Bulldozer starts levelling government land that has become home to vagrants.
Vagrants living in the open land next to the Randburg Magistrates’ Court, Kensington B, claimed that the Department of Public Works tried to persuade them to leave by levelling a large section with a bulldozer on 30 October. The land is owned by the department. A bulldozer was seen levelling the land and removing vegetation. Department of Public Works officials were on the scene, but would not speak to the media. However, they admitted that the bulldozer was theirs.
A security guard for the department, Siphesihle Msane, was willing to speak. “The Department of Public Works is taking the vagrants out,” he said. “Many have been living here for 10 to 12 years. This is not good.”
One of the vagrants, Millicent Mackenzie, who is also the owner of Green Life Recycling , which seeks to register recyclers and find them a place to live, said that she had been living on the premises for two years.
“I don’t want to stay here [but] where must we go to?” she asked.
Pikitup officials were also on scene but refused to speak to the media. Questions were sent to Ward 104 councillor Mike Wood and the Department of Public Works, and comment is awaited.
Details: Department of Public Works dg.pa@dpw.gov.za, 012 406 1000.
