Cape Town - A District Six land claimant who got fed up with waiting for restitution and illegally occupied another claimant’s house has been handed eviction orders.
Rosemary Jacobs, 44, broke down the door at 19 Spuckeris Road in District Six in August 2012 and has since been living there illegally and rent free.
Jacobs said she had attended numerous meetings at land claims regional offices after making an official claim in 1998.
It was during the meetings that Jacobs learnt she had to pay R250 000 if she wanted a new house in District Six.
“The other choice they gave me was to get financial restitution, but I didn’t want that. My family lost our house, so I wanted to get a house for my family.
“I would go as far as to say the entire restitution process is flawed and unconstitutional. I really don’t see why we have to pay for a house when ours was taken away from us during apartheid,” she said.
Jacobs and her family had been forcibly removed from District Six in 1979 and displaced to Mitchells Plain.
Before her parents passed away, her father handed the claim over to her. Jacobs attended her last land claims meeting on August 6, 2012 and expressed her concerns about paying for restitution.
“My complaints were falling on deaf ears. I was just fed up. I had no money and I hoped to put a roof over my children’s heads, so I broke the door down and moved in.
“I just wanted to highlight that this whole process is flawed. It has been a complete nightmare for me and when I leave here I never want to return,” she said.
Provincial land claims commissioner Michael Worsnip said Jacobs had illegally occupied a house which had already been allocated to a claimant.
“She had lived in this house illegally and rent free,” he said.
Worsnip said a court order was obtained to evict Jacobs on May 18 on the grounds that she had no right to the property.
“She asked if she could be allowed to leave on May 31. This request has been granted. There will be no further leniency. Like all other District Six claimants, Ms Jacobs needs to wait her turn before occupying a home,” he said.
Worsnip said normally in restitution tenants only get financial compensation.
“However, in District Six a decision was taken to give tenants provision for housing. This of course needs to be paid for which is why claimants then buy into a business model for the area which will reap benefits for them and their families in future,” he said.
Cape Times