Cape Town - Elderly former District Six residents have urged the minister of land affairs to speed up their claims saying they might be dead before they can move back home.
Gawa Wilkinson, 64, told the Weekend Argus that while she was “excited” about Friday’s court ruling, paving the way to move back home, she might not live to see the day.
“I’ll be dead in five years,” said Wilkinson, who is in a wheelchair and has lost both her legs.
According to Wilkinson, she has been waiting for 22 years for the matter to be resolved.
She claims she was born, went to school and married in District Six.
“I was 14 years old when we were moved out of District Six to Manenberg but now we live on De Waal Drive as Manenberg is too dangerous,” she said.
Acting Judge President Yasmin Meer took under five minutes to rule in favour of the District Six Working Committee (D6WC) and seven other claimants in the Western Cape High Court, that Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza, act speedily to ensure that the District Six matter reaches a conclusion.
“Minister (Maite) Mashabane (previous minister) failed to comply with the previous court order, acted grossly unreasonable in fulfilling her constitutional duty. My fervent hope is that this ruling will go a long way to address the issue of District Six,” said Judge Meer.
Respondents in the matter included the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government and the Government of the Republic of South Africa.
There was jubilation on the steps of the Western Cape High Court as claimants sang, “We are going home”.
Another claimant, Abdullah Hendricks, 74, said he is “deeply relieved”.
“I want to be in District Six.”
Hendricks said his family was moved out of the area when he was 10 and he lived around Cape Town before settling in Newfields.
In terms of the judgment, the previous land affairs minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will be held liable for the costs of the application for only one day (April 17) of the court’s time.
Meer said the judgment was not only a victory for District Six claimants but land restitution across South Africa.
Chairperson of the D6WC, Shahied Ajam said Meer’s judgment “answered the prayers and hopes of the people”.
“This whitewash judgment is for every marginalised community. It’s a wise ruling for some people who have waited over 100 years,” he said.
He said their hope was that 3000 residents could move back to the area within five years.
Ajam said the D6WC met with Didiza and she too expressed a desire to move the process as fast as possible.
“This ruling is also a first for land restitution in South Africa,” he said.
The D6WC will be holding a meeting today at 9am in the Blackpool Hall, in Salt River, to report back to community members on yesterday’s ruling.