POLOKWANE – During an eviction process at the Ga-Rena Rental Village in Ladanna last Wednesday, a 44-year-old male tenant reportedly shot at two security personnel and has since been charged with attempted murder.
Read more: Shots fired at Ga-Rena rental village during evictions
The two officers were rushed to the hospital for medical attention, while the suspect’s firearm, that allegedly belong to his security company, has been confiscated for ballistic testing.
Emotions ran high among the tenants as nearly 100 security personnel, roughly 40 police officers, and officials from the Polokwane Housing Association (PHA) executed a court order to evict occupants of 117 out of 508 units.
Read more: VIDEO: Tenants evicted from Ga-Rena Rentals for not paying rent
These occupants had been living there unlawfully for years, with illegal electricity connections and without paying rent.
A similar operation took place simultaneously at another establishment in Seshego.
The evicted tenants attempted to use a court interdict to return to the Rental Village the following day, but the effort was unsuccessful as the PHA appealed the interdict, according to its acting secretary, Abraham Makoto. The units remain vacant.
The complex, a low-cost housing project owned by the Polokwane Municipality but managed by the PHA, is owed approximately R63 million by the illegal occupants.
Residents of the village have been in ongoing conflict with the municipality over non-payment of electricity and rent.
PHA property manager, Robert Maetisa, explained that the evictions were due to non-compliance and refusal to pay rent.
“The complex was hijacked in 2012 when a group of tenants drove away security officers and took over the complex. We are unsure where the money collected from these allocations went.
“Since 2018, we have been engaging with tenants to regularise their occupancy and start paying rent. While a few complied, others refused. We obtained a court order last year to evict residents in 117 units,” Maetisa said.
He added that previous attempts to evict the tenants were delayed by legal challenges, but these efforts to rescind the court order and interdict the process ultimately failed.
