The flat dwellers had until 10am to remove all their goods, after which a forced eviction would take place by the Red Ants. Before 10am, many families were trying to find a safe haven for their belongings until they could make alternative plans. About 1 200 people were occupying the building, with around seven people in each flat.
Sergeant Mduduzi Zondo from Hillbrow police said, “A notice was given to those staying in The Ridge flats on 31 March, however, many ignored the notice.” According to Zondo, the occupants were given notice again on 30 April. “This then resulted in a mass eviction today,” said Zondo.
Clothes, pots, mattress and even fridges lined Abel Road, with evictees watching the Red Ants remove the remaining furniture and personal belongings.
Angered residents showed their distress with the South African Police Service and the Red Ants by screaming, “Where should we all go now? No one thinks about the children and our stuff.”
Watch a video from the scene below:
One of the residents, Thato Nkambule, walked anxiously up and down the street watching the displacement of many families. He said, “This is illegal what they are doing, they don’t respect our stuff.”
George Moraitis from CAM Security Services said, “The evictees flooded various floors in an attempt to slow down the procedure of the eviction; we believe they broke some of the pipes and taps in the building.” Water could be seen running down from the floors of the building. Moraitis added that this is a common occurrence.
“The evictees will stop at nothing to delay the process,” he said.
Metro Police together with the Red Ants and Hillbrow police monitored nearby streets.
Watch a video from the eviction below:
Click here to view more video footage.
You may also be interested in: Army of Red Ants evict tenants
What are your thoughts on this incident?
Tell us by posting on our timeline, North Eastern Tribune or tweet us @NE_Tribune
