There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for Taylor Road residents.
After a long legal battle which took more than three years to evict residents of the informal settlement, situated between two luxury estates in Honeydew Manor, it is understood that the City of Joburg is in a process to relocate the informal settlers.
The settlement has been surrounded by negativity in the past few years, including its rapid growth and the fact that the settlers illegally occupied private land.
Some of the residents staying close to the settlement blamed the squatters for crimes committed in their homes, as published on the letters page of Roodepoort Northsider, week ending 7 March.
Spokesperson for the City’s Department of Housing Bubu Xuba confirmed that the informal settlers will be moved to Ruimsig informal settlement in due course.
“This informal settlement (Ruimsig) is under the formalisation programme which has basic services like access to sanitation and water,” explained Xuba.
She said the City has engaged with the existing Ruimsig informal settlement occupants through a community-led effort with regards to incorporating other smaller informal settlements like Taylor Road squatter camp into their area.
“The City will also attend to the demolition and removal of the shacks on and from the subject property and will attend to assembling and erecting thereof new structures at the Ruimsig informal settlement,” said Xuba.
It is also understood the court ruled that informal settlers need to be moved by September.
Xuba added that their plan is on schedule to adhere to the time lines set by the court.
Ward Councillor of the area Jaco Engelbrecht said he was pleased that residents will be moved to a settlement where they’ll receive services from the City.
“This move will also enable developers to go ahead with their plans and develop the piece of land that settlers used to occupy,” said Engelbrecht.
