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Remnants moved to Delft

The last remnants of a group of Joe Slovo dwellers in Langa, who had resisted removal to a Site in Delft, had to be force to do so last Wednesday, ending a protracted legal battle between them and the provincial department of Human Settlements, paving the way for the next phase of the N2 Gateway housing project.

They watched helplessly as their shacks were being demolished by a group of men accompanying the Sheriff of the Court, and who loaded their belongings onto the back of trucks. Albeit a court order gave the department the right to remove them, the residents still accused the authorities of using heavy-handed tactics to remove them.

The evictees had been staying on the site since a Constitution Court ruling in 2009 prohibited the government from evicting them.

Even as they realised that they were not beneficiaries of the project, these refused to vacate the area.

The Constitutional Court ruled in their favour and they have been staying on the site since then.

However, the provincial department took the matter on review and won this time around.

Ntomboxolo Makhoba-Somdaka, a spokesperson for Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, said residents knew they were going to be moved to Delft.

She said 88 houses would be built on the piece of land. She added that so far 1664 houses have been built out of the 2886 planned for the land.

Dumisani Mgcini(41), who claims to have been living in the area for 18 years, said they had not problem with moving, but did not like the way it was done.

“No one ever said they do not want to be moved, but we never knew we were going to be forced like this,” he said.

Nodumo Ndyidyana(46), said she was also deeply saddened by the evictions.

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