Cape Town - Calm has been restored after days of road closures and disruptions along Malibongwe Drive and Potsdam Avenue following violent protests over housing in the Dunoon area.
Over the past two weeks, the city's anti-land invasion unit and law enforcement have been kept on their toes as residents in Dunoon and Marikana in Philippi took to the streets demanding houses and basic service delivery. Over the week-long protest a truck was set alight and vehicles were stoned.
The hundreds of backyard dwellers in Dunoon vowed not to let up in their fight for basic services and housing stating that they could not afford to live in the current conditions in which they live.
“We have been telling the government for years that we need houses, proper houses. We told them a few years ago when we wanted to take this land and we are telling them now. Most of the people living in Dunoon are unemployed and therefore cannot afford the rent charged by the landlords. We can barely afford to buy food but this government is not interested in serving the interests of the poor,” said 45-year-old Nokuphumla Jozi.
Lindelephi Kolota, 47, was forcibly removed from his structure where he said he had been living for the past six months. “I was inside having coffee when they came and removed me. When I asked them why they said because the structure was unused. I had all my furniture there and I had just made myself coffee and something to eat. How was I not living there then?” asked the father of four.
Kolota told Weekend Argus that he had been unemployed for a while now and often gave his previous landlord hassles when he had to pay rent. “I had to pay R800 for rent but because i was unemployed, I often struggled to get the money together and that would often cause fights between my landlord and myself,” he said.
Earlier this week, the City of Cape Town condemned the violent protest saying it came at the wake of an interdict preventing illegal occupation of private land. The City's mayoral committee member for human settlements, Malusi Booi said.
"Every rand that is spent repairing damaged, burnt or vandalised facilities or infrastructure is money that could be spent on providing housing to those who wait patiently on the City's database.
"I am informed the protest was triggered by the execution of an interdict to prevent the illegal occupation of private land. The City had received a request from a private landowner to assist in the protection of his land against illegal occupation.
"Dozens of incomplete and unoccupied structures which were in the process of being erected were demolished. The City complies at all times with the Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act.
"The City condemns land invasions on both private- and City-owned property as these actions are illegal and consequently impact on service delivery to other residents.
In 2017, residents in Dunoon had attempted to illegally occupy two piece of land, but their plans were curtailed by the City's law enforcement. At the time, the group of hundreds of people cited high rental as the cause for the invasion.
One of the patches of land was said to be earmarked for a sports field for the area but according to ward councillor, Lubabalo Makeleni at the time, a brick making business which is illegally operating from the field was causing the delay.
The land along the N7 was privately-owned, and the other field belongs to the city.