Tensions heighted when the community of Emdeni came to support the Mazibuko family who found themselves homeless after a man claiming to have brought their house evicted them out of the said property last Wednesday, October 26.
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The community which was there to attempt to move the family back into the house were however met with resistances from a group of men who were armed.
According to the community, they were surprised when police vans, sheriffs and red ants arrived in a convoy at the Mazibuko home and proceeded to remove the furniture out from the house.
“We are here to move them back into their house, what happened here could have easily happened to any of us that is why we must stand together,” said resident, Lilly Zwane.
The family disputed the eviction asking how the house could be sold when they had all the relevant documentation.
They further stated that they believed that the eviction notice was fraudulent.
Dumiso Mazibuko, grandson to David Mathobani Mazibuko who is said to the original owner of the house said they were still puzzled at how the house was allegedly sold without their knowledge.
“We have people here who bought this house illegally , they don’t have any documents except a paper that they kept wavering to our face claiming that this is the paper permitting them to be the new owners.
“They arrived with a large police presence and they evicted us,” recalled Mazibuko
They said they wanted more answers as the matter did not make sense.According to reports, the new alleged owner claims that they bought the house from family’s relative in New Castle over 10 years ago and had been pleading with the family to evacuate the house.
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The matter was previously before the courts in 2014, and according to the family was struck off the roll.
“Every document is here with us, everything from the permit, title deed still under our grandfather’s name.
“How can the house be sold and we don’t know? Who evaluated the house? Because no one came here, we want to know what processes where followed.
“Our mother is still grieving for our father who died in July and now this is happening.
We grew up here. We lived at this house with our grandfather. Even when our dad got a new place in Naledi, we stayed behind with our grandfather. We have stayed here all along,” an emotional Mazibuko told Urban News.
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Some residents who said this was not the first incident to occur in the area alleged that the ward councillor, Thulani Buthelezi was working in cahoots with what they described to be a housing syndicate in the area and was the agent selling community information.
Buthelezi refuted these claims and said “this was a campaign to smear his name” and further denied claims of taking any documentation.
“The people who are saying this are people who are still bitter and have not healed from the processes of the 2021 elections. It’s people who could not contest and it’s people who were not voted for by the people so they want to drag my name,” he said.
“The papers they claim I took, is the appeal letter, on a decision taken by the courts, to which I told them I need valid paperwork indicating that they were the rightful owners and couldn’t not produce any paper other than the appeal.”
Buthelezi said he was still waiting for the family to provide him with the relevant documentation so he would be able to see how he could assist everyone involved.
“I have not engaged with the said buyer because the person who claims to own the house does not have documents which I have seen.
“I said to them once they have given me the papers, I would then be able to call the meeting with the person who says they bought the house and bring both parties on the table and the matter be concluded in court as it is a court matter.”
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