Sodom and Gomorrah at Donovan McDonald

The recent rejection of the Johannesburg Department of Human Settlement’s application for the urgent eviction of illegal occupants of the Donovan McDonald Retirement Centre has brought the true extent of problems at the centre to the fore.

The Roodepoort Record has obtained a copy of the application, which was filed at the Johannesburg High Court, submitted by executive director of the Department of Human Settlements, Patrick Phophi, on behalf of the City of Johannesburg, in which the troubles at the centre are laid out in detail.

According to the application, at least 17 of the centre’s 183 units are illegally occupied by at least 23 illegal occupiers.

This was established via a petition drawn up by lawful residents at the centre and a night raid carried out with the assistance of the JMPD on June 15.

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Accurately identifying the number of illegal occupiers and their identities is, according to the application, hampered by the evasive actions taken by illegal occupiers, with two additional persons having run away from police and avoiding any contact with investigators.

The City claims that these illegal occupants do not pay rent for the units they occupy.

According to the application, a forensic investigation was commissioned by the Department of Human Settlements, which was conducted between June and July this year, which has further revealed the extent to which illegal activities occur at the centre.

In addition to illegal occupation of units, problems allegedly include the deliberate damage of infrastructure and property, theft, open use of and peddling of drugs, prostitution, and intimidation of lawful residents.

The application further alleges that a criminal gang going by the name The Fast Guns is active at the centre and the forefront of many of the problems at the facility.

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This was, according to the application, confirmed by the facility manager, who refrained from divulging further information for apparent fear of retribution.

• Theft and vandalism of electrical components

In their application, the City alleges that electrical components like lightbulbs and cables are regularly stolen or vandalised. This holds a very real danger for elderly residents in that, in addition to being dark at night, the threat of electrocution due to the resultant malfunctioning of electrical equipment is ever-present. The theft and vandalism of cables also impact the working of the elevators at the five-storey centre, effectively trapping elderly residents who struggle to walk in their units.

• Infrastructure and security

The application alleges that the perimeter fence is deliberately damaged by, among others, members of the Fast Guns gang as this enables gang members to slip in and out of the centre undetected and without having to report to security. Item stolen during crime incidents is also easily smuggled in and out of the premises through the broken perimeter fencing.

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• Prostitution

One unit was singled out in the application as a place where prostitution allegedly takes place.

• Drugs

According to the application, there is some evidence of drug peddling at the centre. Drug use in the common areas of the centre is also at the order of the day.

• Noise and bad behaviour

The City claims that, among complaints they have received, one is that illegal occupants have no regard for the rightful elderly residents of the centre, regularly making noise and using vulgar language in the common areas during their social and other interactions.

• Intimidation

According to the City, elderly residents are in most cases too terrified to report incidents as they are often intimidated by the mostly younger illegal occupants. Lawful residents of the centre also refused to have their identities made public on the petition that they painstakingly compiled in an attempt to detail the illegally occupied units and their inhabitants.