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- The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) is being grilled for “illegally evicting” illegal settlers on their land over the weekend in Wynberg.
- Prasa’s spokesperson Andiswa Makanda on Tuesday 27 February stated that the ongoing chaos in Wynberg reached boiling point on Friday 23 February.
- Reports surfacing from Wynberg suggest four people were shot on Thursday 22 February and another person was stabbed on Friday.
The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) is being grilled for “illegally evicting” illegal settlers on their land over the weekend in Wynberg after a petition called for urgent action following increasing waves of crime, gangsterism, drugs and victimisation of local residents and the community at large.
Prasa’s spokesperson Andiswa Makanda on Tuesday 27 February stated that the ongoing chaos in Wynberg reached boiling point on Friday 23 February when “a violent incident occurred at ‘The Hill’, prompting the deployment of Prasa Protection Services personnel to intervene and restore order to the area.”
Reports surfacing from Wynberg suggest four people were shot on Thursday 22 February and another person was stabbed on Friday.
This prompted Prasa to exercise what some of their officials has called “a clean-up operation” in response to pleas from the wider community.
The occupied land is situated near the Yusufeyyah Mosque and a taxi rank managed by the City of Cape Town. This area has been a focal point of collaborative efforts with the City, according to Prasa.
However, this elicited sharp critique from the Ward 63 councillor Carmen Siebritz, who told People’s Post those evicted were illegally settled on Prasa land.
“Prasa did not secure alternative accommodation for the illegal occupants,” she said, “and therefore they are now settling all over Wynberg in and around residents’ homes. Some have gone to resettle on other parts of Prasa land also illegally occupied by others.”
Siebritz acknowledged that the community of Wynberg now faces daily struggles of theft from motor vehicles and homes, its members exposed to drugs being injected, drug sales and so on, to name a few. “It’s important to note that, while I agree with the removal of the illegal occupants, I do not condone the illegal evictions in the absence of a court order. The illegal evictions, instead of making it better for residents and especially congregants of the Yusufeyyah Masjid, have not yielded a positive outcome in my opinion.”
Siebritz believes Prasa’s operation left residents in and around Mitcham and Sandhurst roads feeling unsafe and threatened.
“Many [of those that have been] evicted have again gone to illegally settle on Prasa’s land, this time opposite residential homes. The removal of illegal occupants without a court order has left Wynberg in more chaos than ever before.”
This is a developing story.
