WATCH: Chaos at key handover ceremony at South Hills development

The residents of South Hills wanted to be the first people to occupy the new flats and houses.

August 23, 2018

Lucky Thusi 2 minutes read

SURROUNDED: Ward 57 ward councillor Faeeza Chame with JMPD officers inside the development. Photo: Lucky Thusi.

PANDEMONIUM ensued outside South Hills development in Nephin Road while City of Johannesburg executive mayor Clr Herman Mashaba was handing over keys to beneficiaries on August 22.

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Residents gathered at the corner of Nephin and Coalbrook roads where the mayor was supposed to enter the development. However, his entourage used another entrance and the community was left fuming.

There was a confrontation between the residents and law enforcement agencies, barricading of streets and sporadic shoot-outs. The residents of South Hills wanted to be the first people to occupy the new flats and the houses.

HANDOVER: City of Johannesburg executive mayor councillor Herman Mashaba and Ward 57 councillor Faeeza Chame at the new flat handed to Nomalizo Mbawas, who was born in 1940. This is Nomalizo’s first house. She was at an old age home that wasn’t wheelchair-friendly, now her home will be easily accessible to her. Photo: Lucky Thusi.

The South Hills development steering committee, led by Ward 57 Clr Faeeza Chame, tried to calm down the situation. Resident, however, were adamant that they want the mayor to address them.

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While the streets of South Hills were littered with police and rioting residents, the mayor continued with the business of the day, to officially hand over keys to beneficiaries of newly completed units.

ARREST: Xolile Nyhila is shoved to the back of the police van after he was arrested for allegedly pelting the police van with stones, he was later released. Photo: Lucky Thusi.

He said this marked a momentous occasion, as some of the beneficiaries have remained on the housing waiting list since 1996.

“As a new administration, we are making progressive strides in ensuring that our people receive the dignity of having a home. The completion of the development will yield a total of 6 204 family and single occupation units for RDP, community residential units, bonded rental and social housing.

“Incidentally, today also coincides with the two year anniversary of my coming into office and the multi-party coalition government’s efforts to bring change to the poorest residents in our city. Under previous administrations, the city was run in an environment where corruption was allowed to fester and neglect of the city’s infrastructure was the order of the day. Indeed, upon taking over government, we found a city with an infrastructure backlog of R170-billion.

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“In addition to this, the city also faces a housing backlog of almost 300 000 units which are required to provide quality low-cost income housing for our previously forgotten people. Unfortunately, there are those who would seek to prevent the change which the residents of our city have voted for. Today’s event was marred by attempted disruptions, orchestrated by the ANC in order to prevent today’s housing handover. To bolster their efforts, the ANC also sought to distribute a pamphlet encouraging residents in the area to unlawfully occupy houses within the development,” explained the mayor.

He continued to say the lawlessness which is being promoted by the ANC must be condemned in the strongest terms. “Once again the ANC has shown that it is more concerned with their own political interests than ensuring that those who have been without a home since 1994 receive that which they deserve. As a new administration, we believe the rule of law must be respected at all times and have thus referred the matter to police authorities in the area. This said, I am also proud of the strides the city is set to make providing housing through the transformation of the inner city,” explained Mashaba.