About 70 homeless families have been living in the abandoned school for the past 10 years while applying fruitlessly for alternative accommodation and land.
The families moved into the school when it was vacated. They turned classrooms into their homes and erected shacks on the school premises.
A community representative, Puleng Kurata, said in January they noticed the school was being vandalised. "We then decided to occupy the premises of the rundown school. We chose to live here because there are no RDP houses available.
“There are people who have been living in Diepkloof for years, who’ve been trying to apply for RDP homes since 1996, but still do not have them,” said the 46-year-old mother of two.
The unemployed mother said they thought it fit to occupy the school to prevent it from becoming a haven for crime.
“I have my kids; I need space for my family. Nyaope boys were vandalising the premises, smoking drugs and being unruly," she said.
Kurata said Red Ant Security Relocation And Eviction Services served them with a notice of eviction which led to the matter landing in court.
“At the time, there weren’t many people who had moved in.
“We were given 20 days to vacate the area, which we didn’t. We then decided to take the matter to court.
“We have lawyers to represent us and our case is now in the hands of the court,” Kutara said.
She said the community said they were misunderstood by the provincial government.
“All we ask for is that we have RDP houses or land allocated to us, which we can occupy. We are not settled on these (school) premises to live forever but temporarily, as we would like them to address our needs. We know these premises belong to the government.
“The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development has taken us to court over this matter and it is now in the hands of our lawyers. We ask that they find us land to occupy.”
The aggrieved resident said the last time they contacted the infrastructure department was last month.
She said the residents had fixed the school to make it a place to live.
“We didn’t have working toilets so we’ve tried to fix those ourselves.
“We were asked why we’re occupying the space, but this school has been rundown for years, why are they concerned now?
Meanwhile, MEC of Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo said the government had a plan for abandoned buildings.
“The Department of Infrastructure Development is the custodian of all government properties in the province through a delegation by the premier.
“Now those people have occupied the property without any permission from the custodian. They are unlawful occupants.”
He said the department approached the South Gauteng High Court and the matter was pending.
“They (the occupants) are being legally represented so we are exchanging pleadings in terms of the court processes.
“The high court will then make a decision based on our application.
“We have cited the City of Joburg in line with the Constitution.
“They (the city) would then be responsible for providing the accommodation. It would be up to the City of Joburg, where residents would be placed. It is subject to their means and the availability of accommodation. All we are seeking is an eviction order.”
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