Cape Town - A group of Steenvilla residents, who were evicted after falling into arrears at the social housing complex in Steenberg, were finally moved to their new homes in Eerste River.
The hand over took place on Monday the majority of these residents have spent months living on the street after they were evicted from their homes last year. Now through an intervention of national and provincial government the 34 families have now become first time home owners.
“I feel ecstatic about my house it’s raw but I just see new beginning. We can make with it what we want to, it’s our sanctuary. It’s really our pot of gold that we got at the end of the rainbow. We’ve been without a roof over a heads for so long and now finally we have a home my children have just been scattered for months and myself and my husband have been apart for so long,” said tenant Shamiela Abrahams.
Steenvilla is the largest social housing complex in Cape Town. It’s gated with 24-hour security. In 2017, violence broke out in the complex when enraged residents barricaded a section of Military Road with burning tyres, dirt bins and rubbish after an eviction order was issued against them.
Shamiela Abrahams (orange doekie) is ready to move from Steenvilla with her family. Abrahams received a two bedroom home at the newly built housing scheme. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency(ANA)
Two-year Mikaeel Abrahams is ready to move from Steenvilla with his Granny, Shamiela Abrahams (back wearing an orange doekie). Abrahams received a two bedroom home at the newly built housing scheme. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency(ANA)
At the crux of the violence are 30 households currently in rent arrears. The complex is managed by Sohco, a private non-profit company which manages low-cost rental housing. The project is owned by the provincial government.
Rent ranges from R1500 to R4000. Residents who live in the complex are pensioners, people with disabilities, single parents and the unemployed. The residents said that Housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela had promised them houses.
“I was horrified when we were evicted. It was very bad time for me because we were fasting now that we are moving I cannot explain how overjoyed I feel. We are overwhelmed it has been a hectic battle I’ve moved seven times since we were evicted,” Abrahams said.
The new home owners moved into the Forest Village complex. The brand new complex which was completed in December 2017 and delivered 2654 subsidised breaking new ground (BNG) houses, 1504 fully subsidised serviced sites, and 122 partially subsidised finance linked individual subsidy (FLISP) houses, for a total of 4280 housing opportunities.
The City’s allocations committee was responsible for allocating the houses. Madikizela said: “We assisted in this matter after a thorough assessment because we were convinced that they could not pay.
@MarvinCharles17