Pretoria – An ANC ward councillor has been accused of terrorising the Sizanani informal settlement in Mamelodi East by demanding R20 000 for allocating stand numbers.
Residents claim they are being forced to pay the money to be allocated a stand number.
Those who failed to obey this order said they were beaten by a group of henchman working with the councillor.
The stand numbers secured permanent stands for the squatters, who would be relocated to new developments once they had been completed. But residents have expressed fear that their dreams to own stands would remain just that.
Lydia Mahlangu, 42, told the Pretoria News she could become homeless soon after being told to move her belongings and find a new place to stay.
She said she had been given notice by a private security company to demolish her shack and leave the area with immediate effect.
“I have been given 48 hours to take my shack and other belongings and leave because I cannot afford to pay the R20 000 they want from me.”
Mahlangu said she had been living in the area for 21 years, and after being in hospital for a brain tumour, had missed the deadline to apply for a stand number.
She returned from hospital to find every shack on her street fitted with a number.
“I noticed that everyone had numbers on their shacks and mine did not have one, and when I asked for one I was told of the R20 000 payment required.”
Things quickly spiralled out of control when she and others failed to come up with the money, with a gang known as “gun men” unleashing terror on them.
The men, residents said, carried sjamboks and dispersed any gathering and accused people of plotting against the councillor.
She said they were scared to raise their concerns during community meetings as they knew the gunmen would terrorise and assault them.
Residents alleged that their councillor, Morwangwato Mantjane, the gunmen and a municipal official known as “Chillies” worked together to sell stands.
They also demolished the shacks of those who did not pay up, or who displeased them in any way. Many had been left with no place to call home since the reign of terror started last year, community members said.
But demolishing houses was not all residents complained about.
Portia Masingi 24, said all she wanted was her mother’s corrugated iron sheets after she had been told to vacate the shack because it was on a pathway.
An emotional Masingi said that after she returned from her mother’s funeral she found that they had demolished the shack.
“What is worse is that we did not find anything left to prove there was a shack."
“They demolished it, took the corrugated iron sheets and everything in it. We suspect they also took our dog because we have never seen it since,” she said.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said they were not aware of the allegations and urged the group to report the issue to the authorities as it was a criminal act.
He said the private security company in question worked directly with the city, through the Metro Police Department.
“People who are being removed have illegally invaded land. The city is busy with the formalisation process and we have since identified people who have now settled on the access pathways.
“We have served them with notices to move from those roads as we need to bring in essential services to the areas being formalised,” he said.
When the Pretoria News attempted to get a comment from Mantjane, he said he was attending a council meeting and thus unable to comment.
Asked when would be an appropriate time to call him, he hung up. He also did not respond to a text message.
Teboho Joala, ANC Tshwane regional spokesperson, said it was difficult to respond to such allegations without evidence of Mantjane’s alleged transgressions.
“What we know is that our (ANC) councillors adhere to a very strict code of conduct. They know they will face disciplinary processes. We will not hesitate to be part of any situation to discipline our own members,” Joala said.
He said nothing had come to their attention whether formally or informally about Montjane and that there were structures at each ward to address any issues.
Joala said there was a concerted effort by the ruling DA, as well as the EFF, to drag the ANC’s name through the mud when they were unable to settle disputes in council meetings.
Joala challenged the DA-led municipality to address the issues in the city such as leaking water pipes, open sewage pipes, potholes in the roads and the dirty inner city.