Golden Harvest Park residents say they won’t vacate council property

A group of residents living on the council property in Golden Harvest Park and the old municipal nursery have threatened to retaliate if provoked.

They indicated that they would only move if the City provided them with alternative accommodation. This came to light after the Johannesburg Property Company issued notices last month of plans by the council to demolish the properties in which the residents live.

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The residents’ committee chairperson David Hadebe said they were not occupying the area illegally. He said residents who were living on the property said their parents and relatives who had worked for the City’s entities and have since retired, allowed them to live on the premises.

“My family brought me to stay here. As I grew up and started my own family I had to extend the property in order to accommodate my family as well,” said Hadebe.

The father of one said the number of people living there gradually increased over the years. “There are no illegal occupants here, the families were brought by their parents and relatives,” he reckoned.

About 250 people stay in the Nursery while about 350 people reside in the park. These properties were apparently previously used by the municipality to accommodate municipal employees and store the City’s equipment.

Speaking on behalf of the residents, Sivile Nontso said family members had since held on to the properties by passing them on from one family member to the next. Residents have extended the buildings, they maintain the area, have illegally connected electricity and see to their own refuse disposal. However, there are no toilets at the nursery, and residents rely on the nearby garage and Northgate Shopping Centre.

Towards the end of last year, the City’s entities embarked on a massive clean-up of the area and it was concluded that the structures were unsafe and should not be occupied.

“It is clear that many families are going to be affected by the demolitions. This process doesn’t seem to be fair as everyone is protected by the Constitution, including the residents of Golden Harvest Park,” said Nontso.

The property company’s executive manager, client business operations Fanis Sardianos, said letters were served as notification that an audit would be conducted by the City’s departments of housing and social development and the property company.

He said the letters also served as notification that the houses in the park and nursery were structurally unsafe and pose a risk to the health and safety of the occupants.

“The physical verification [audit] is required in order to establish who is occupying premises owned by the City without the necessary permission or authority,” he said.

He concluded that once the City has determined the number of occupants in the park, a plan will be made on how to normalise the situation.

“The occupants will be kept informed of the developments and processes that will be followed to address this matter,” he said.

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Details: Johannesburg Property Company; 010 219 9000.