Rustenburg - Six families would likely spend the cold winter night in the open after the Rustenburg municipality evicted them from their homes in Geelhout Park on Monday for failing to pay rent.
“We are going to sleep here, we have nowhere to go. The house is locked,” said Grace Obeidi, pointing at her furniture dumped in front of her former house.
“Look the wardrobe is broken and other things are also broken,” she said.
Another woman stood under a tree holding a baby.
The Rustenburg local municipality said residents were evicted for failing to pay rent for occupying the council homes.
“The Rustenburg local municipality today (Monday) went to execute a court order to remove eight tenants occupying municipal houses but failing to pay the rent as agreed, residing at Amper Boom, Geelhout Park Extension 4. The Municipality followed the required procedure of applying to the courts after numerous attempts to try to get tenants to pay,” said spokesman Thapelo Matebesi.
Community leader Neville Adams said residents stopped paying rent around 1998 when the municipality failed to maintain the houses as stipulated in the rental contract. He said the houses were supposed to be painted every six months.
“There are 87 houses involved. Six families have been evicted. We do not know who will be next to be evicted. Our children did not go to school because we do not know what will happened next,” Adams said.
“We cannot sleep at night when our neighbours are thrown out of their houses. All we want is the title deeds of these houses. We stop paying rent after the municipality failed to maintain the houses. We do not resist moving out, but the municipality must at least provide an alternative place closer to here.”
Some of the four-roomed houses - which are similar to low cost housing units built by government - had cracks.
Adams said residents were charged on average R1400 rent for a two bedroomed house, excluding water and electricity.
On average residents owed about R70 000 in arrears.
ANA