Johannesburg - Blackie Swart woke up one morning in July to find a cluster of brown tents, reminiscent of a refugee camp, erected on the grounds of an abandoned rugby club in Florida Lake on the West Rand.
When Swart, the chairperson of My Florida Lake-Hamberg Residents' Association, enquired further, he was told that the City of Johannesburg had moved people on to the suburban piece of land for “temporary emergency accommodation” after they had been evicted from Fleurhof for illegally occupying low-cost houses.
But Swart is outraged, accusing the council of failing to consult with residents before taking the decision to move the evicted people to the suburb.
When the Saturday Star visited the area last week, 18 tents housing nearly 90 families had been erected at the old Roodepoort Rugby Club near the Jerusalema informal settlement.
“We don’t know how long these people are going to stay here. They have become a nuisance. We compromised when they first started the Jerusalem informal settlement, but they keep on dumping more people here with no services.”
He showed mini substations that were destroyed and their components, including cables, looted allegedly by the tent dwellers and some Jerusalema residents.
Blackie Swart stands next to one of the mini substations that were destroyed, their components, including cables, looted. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Africa News Agency (ANA)
“They destroyed the mini boxes and connected electricity illegally. By the time City Power comes to repair the damage and switches electricity back on, they are also connected.”
Last month, Florida Lake residents spent four days without electricity, said Swart.
And it appears that the City has no immediate plans to relocate the residents. Buntukazi Xuba, the spokesperson for its housing department, insists that the council informed Florida residents about settling the evicted people on the plot.
“Florida Lake residents were informed at a community meeting and they agreed to accommodate the extra residents.”
The 88 families will only be relocated “as and when there are projects available”.
Flats that were destroyed, allegedly by the residents. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Africa News Agency (ANA)
The Saturday Star has established that the evicted residents are originally from Meadowlands in Soweto. Calgro M3, a developer that has a co-operation agreement with the council in a low-cost housing project in Fleurhof, acquired a court order to evict the residents, who had occupied an RDP development in the area.
The court did not order the City to provide alternative accommodation as the evicted residents were not destitute. However, the council insisted on finding them alternative accommodation.
“We were not obligated but we are a caring government and could not just leave people on the streets, especially the elderly,” said Xuba.
The council, she said, was providing basic services and Jerusalema was earmarked for electrification in the “medium term”.
But Mosima Sekgobela, a mother of two primary school children, said the living conditions in the tents were unbearable.
Sifiso Sithole represents evicted people. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Africa News Agency (ANA)
“Each tent is accommodating four families. We are living like animals. My children do not have a place to study. We cannot continue living here. The City promised to move us and they must keep their promise Children are always sick because they are being exposed to the cold.”
Community leader Sifiso Sithole threatened to stage a sit-in at the office of mayor Herman Mashaba should the City fail to relocate them by the end of this week.
“Delays and challenges on large-scale projects such as Fleurhof are not uncommon and developers and municipalities debate these and always find a middle way and resolve same,” said Wikus Lategan, the chief executive of Calgro M3.