Evicted Pienaarspoort residents rebuild shacks

Published May 9, 2016

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Pretoria - Misery and a sense of helplessness have been brought upon thousands of desperate home seekers after the shacks they had built illegally on a piece of land in Pienaarspoort were razed to the ground by Red Ants last week.

Bennet Mabalane, 35, lost all his possessions last Wednesday when he, along with thousands of other illegal land occupants were evicted from the land they had occupied in Pienaarspoort, in Mamelodi East.

Mabalane is one of the many who have been playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Red Ants in Pienaarspoort since 2008.

He moved there after losing his job as a security guard in 2007. He had previously rented a room in a nearby township, Ikageng, for R450 a month, but was forced to move to Pienaarspoort after he lost his job.

Last Wednesday, he and his two sons aged 6 and 11 lost all their possessions when the Red Ants pounced on the illegal settlement and evicted them for the umpteenth time.

“The only things I have left are the clothes I am wearing. I lost my bed, groceries and radio,” said a shattered Mabalane.

His sons lost their school uniforms and stationery during the eviction. He said he felt like the ruling party had let them down and was full of empty promises. “I’ve been on the RDP waiting list for over 10 years now. And then the ANC still wants us to vote for them.”

Since last week Wednesday Mabalane and his two sons have been sleeping in a crowded room at a friend’s place in Mamelodi Gardens.

Asked why he keeps going back to Pienaarspoort when he knew that their shacks would be destroyed, he said he did so out of desperation. He believes that one day the authorities will leave them alone and formalise the settlement. He did not want to be left out should this happen, hence he continues to try his luck each time an invasion is planned.

Mariam Seleke, 32, who has been living with her four daughters since 2009 said she has lost her possessions five times since moving there. She is originally from Soshanguve and initially heard about Pienaarspoort from a friend.

“The stupid Red Ants have no mercy nor remorse. They simply rip through our belongings like trash.”

She said she had worked as a domestic worker to make ends meet. “Some of my possessions like the kitchen unit that was destroyed were given to me by my boss. It had sentimental value to me,” she said.

Seleke, who stays at Mandela village, says she is thinking of trying her luck elsewhere since Pienaarspoort has proved costly. Her hope now lies with the EFF. “I wish the EFF can win elections and give us houses,” she said.

Charles Molotong, 55, said he moved to Pienaarspoort with his wife because he was unhappy with his landlord who made a noise until the early hours of the morning. He also increased his rent as and when he pleased. He lived in a garage which he rented in Mamelodi West and paid R575 a month.

While searching for a better place to live, he heard about Pienaarspoort from a former colleague and decided to go and live there considering it was rent free and more peaceful than his garage dwelling. “I regret coming here because now all my possessions are gone, including both our ID documents. I can’t move now because I have nowhere else to go.

Khutso Matiwani, 63, said she is tired of fighting and just wants a place to call home. She was recently widowed and is reaching retirement age. “I’m just tired of fighting; I just want a comfortable and safe home.”

Matiwani said she has been on an RDP waiting list for more than 20 years. She moved to Pienaarspoort after her husband died last year.

“I don’t have any other family. My husband and two children passed away and I have no one to take care of me,” a tearful Matiwani said.

Matiwani said her sister-in-law kicked her out of her home where she was staying with her husband and that is why she ended up in Pienaarspoort. Her source of income is selling fruit and vegetables at Denneboom taxi rank.

The nationwide drought has affected her business, she said. “I don’t care what political party wins the elections; I just want a safe dwelling during my last days on Earth.”

Most of the shacks in Pienaarspoort were built from corrugated iron sheets which have since been confiscated by the Red Ants along with other housing materials including window and door frames and wooden poles. The Red Ants were unavailable for comment.

Tshwane mayoral spokesman Blessing Manale said the land is privately owned by Old Mutual. and that the council would continue to evict people who illegally occupied it.

Community representative Martin Matlala said it was hard to find work in the cities, and when people eventually did, they often didn't get paid enough to afford rent in formal housing, hence shack settlements were becoming poor people’s solution to a lack of affordable housing.

Pretoria News

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