Parkwood residents want criminals to be evicted from City-owned homes.
Frustrated residents took to the streets of their neighbourhood yesterday with placards in hand to get their voices heard.
Community leader Pastor Paul Phillips said: “We want them to start evicting criminals. We are fed up of their empty promises.”
Former councillor Melanie Arendse added: “Why must ordinary families be evicted when they have nowhere else to go?
“Look at the crime on the Cape Flats: children are being murdered and raped, people are being killed, drugs are taking over our streets.
“The City is aware and there are solutions, they need to step in.”
According to the group, they have been engaging with the City since 2015.
“We have a paper trail dating as far back as 2015.
“We’ve given them a list of council rented stock where crime is being conducted; we’ve even attached case numbers. But nothing is being done.
“They should force dealers out and alleviate the pressure on the waiting list, give the homes to people who need it,” Phillips said.
The group’s plan was to hand over a moratorium and memorandum to mayor Patricia De Lille, but De Lille was not there to receive it and had instructed local councillors Elgan Fortune and William Akim to do so instead.
Akim said: “The mayor had a prior arrangement.”
“We are trying, but we, as the City, can’t just evict people because the PIE (Prevention of Illegal Eviction) act does not allow us to. There are processes to follow.
“The housing office does send us notifications of druglords but often they are reluctant to move, so we have to end up going to court.
“At court, witnesses don’t pitch up because they are scared, causing further delay.
‘‘The suspects also keep changing lawyers, so the case keeps getting postponed,” Fortune added.
“This is a big problem faced nationally, not just in Parkwood,” Akim said.