Tensions are rising between residents who hijacked temporary houses in Mtsotso, outside Mdantsane, and those who were supposed to occupy them after being evicted from nearby Better Life recently.
The occupiers have now been given an eviction notice by the Buffalo City Metro (BCM) to vacate the temporary shelters by the end of January.
Residents evicted from RDP houses in Better Life in October were meant to occupy some of the temporary shelters in Mtsotso, but to their shock, they found some of them already occupied by other people.
The hundreds of residents now illegally occupying those temporary houses were last week given a month to evacuate the shelters.
They were issued with eviction letters on Tuesday and initially given 24 hours to vacate.
Initially, the metro had given them 24 hours to vacate, as they were issued eviction letters on Tuesday.
However, that has since been changed to January.
Better Life resident Yolisa Mhambi said they were hoping to finally get shelters after they were evicted two months ago, but the government had failed them.
“We have been displaced for two months, after we were evicted by the municipality,” she said.
“We recently found out that some of us were supposed to be in the temporary shelters that are in Mtsotso.”
Mhambi said they visited the department of human settlements on Friday, but did not get the answers they anticipated.
We were directed to BCM, that is where we were told that we were offered temporary houses, but they failed to tell us when that was agreed upon
“We were directed to BCM, that is where we were told that we were offered temporary houses, but they failed to tell us when that was agreed upon,” she said.
She said they were planning on meeting BCM on Monday, to get answers.
Mtsotso resident Nokulunga Danisa said they were anxious and sad that they were being evicted.
“We are hoping that BCM will not evict us and leave us in the cold, as we do not have anywhere else to go to.”
She said they had been living there since the inception of the shelters about five years ago.
“Some of us decided to move here because we were desperate and did not have anywhere to go.
“It is heartbreaking that we are being evacuated, as these shelters are our only homes,” Danisa said.
BCM confirmed on Sunday that some people occupying temporary housing units in Mtsotso were doing so unlawfully.
Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said: “The temporary units were never allocated to them, and they have been issued with formal notices instructing them to vacate.”
He said the exact number of households continued to be verified through an ongoing assessment; however, all those illegally occupying the temporary structures were subject to the notices issued.
“The municipality is acting in accordance with its legal mandate to prevent unlawful occupation of municipal property,” he said.
“The occupants were served with written notices informing them that their occupation is illegal and that they are required to vacate the units.”
Fuzile said the notices formed part of the municipality’s compliance with the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE Act), which guides all eviction and relocation processes.
“BCM has followed due process and will continue to do so, including the use of the courts where this becomes necessary.
“The municipality’s primary responsibility is to ensure that municipal properties designated for specific purposes are not illegally taken over, thereby disrupting planned housing programmes and the rights of rightful beneficiaries.”
He confirmed that the temporary shelters were originally constructed to accommodate people who had illegally occupied the Reeston Better Life houses and who, at the time, agreed to vacate the temporary shelters once the municipality had resolved the situation in Reeston.
However, a number of the residents refused to leave the temporary shelters as agreed, long after the purpose for which the units were created had been fulfilled.
“This refusal has resulted in the current unlawful occupation and has compelled the municipality to intervene,” Fuzile said.
“The temporary shelters were originally allocated only as short-term accommodation for individuals removed from the unlawfully occupied Reeston Better Life houses.
“They were never intended to be permanent housing solutions.”
He said the continued illegal occupation was now disrupting BCM’s housing implementation plans, as these units were needed for legitimate municipal purposes and potential emergency needs.
“Some beneficiaries who were part of planned relocations cannot be assisted appropriately because the temporary housing is being occupied by people who were never approved beneficiaries.
“The municipality cannot divert houses or emergency accommodation from legitimate beneficiaries to people who have shown unwillingness to comply with lawful instructions.
“Doing so would undermine the integrity of BCM’s housing allocation processes,” Fuzile said.
BCM is strengthening and expanding its measures to prevent future illegal occupation of temporary housing and other municipal properties.
These include increased security monitoring, regular inspections of municipal properties and strengthening collaboration with law-enforcement agencies.
Fuzile urged all affected individuals to co-operate with the municipality and adhere to the notices issued “to avoid forced removals”.
Daily Dispatch
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