Cape Town - Social housing provider Communicare is celebrating a small victory in its fight to claim back 24 of its units in Brooklyn, Belleville that was violently hijacked last month.
This after the organisation took to the courts to obtain an urgent court order to prevent the hijackers from once again gaining access to their building and terrorising their tenants.
Communicare chief executive Anthea Houston said the organisation had been left with no other option than to approach the courts for assistance to protect the interests and well-being of its tenants, after failing to get assistance from law enforcement.
“Communicare applied for a spoliation order, a common law remedy to take back possession of the property, including regaining control of the access to the property. On March 30, the High Court postponed the case until April 22 this year.
“However, for us, this is still a win because the court ordered that we should be placed in control and possession of the common areas, various security gates and checkpoints, and police were also instructed to assist us to implement the order and to arrest anyone who obstructs the order of the High Court.”
While waiting for their new court date, Houston said that the organisation would be using the time to strategise how best to protect its tenants, some of whom are elderly.
“Some of our tenants were cruelly harassed by the unscrupulous people who hijacked our property. They beat, intimidated, and broke into several apartments to insert illegal electricity connections and access water.
“Our tenants were even afraid to leave their children at home when they go to work. We’re relieved that we could restore order at the property and enhance the safety of our tenants,” she said.
On March 30, traditional leaders gathered at Communicare’s building in Brooklyn to express support for tenants and to condemn the illegal hijacking of the building.
The King of the Griekwa, Johannes Waterboer, went on record condemning the building’s hijacking, saying that to commit violence, assault, intimidation, theft and terrorism of poor people in the name of homes was not a human right but criminal activity.
Cape Argus