Johannesburg - Residents of Watersdal informal settlement in Sebokeng have been forced to sleep in the streets after their shacks were demolished.
This was after the red ants were deployed to evict the occupants in the area.
It has been alleged that the residents illegally occupied the land, which is private.
The red ants left no stone unturned during the evictions in the informal settlement.
Some residents slept in the streets, saying they had no other option.
When Sunday Independent visited the area on Thursday, desperate residents such as Tumelo Rantsane were cooking by the roadside.
Their belongings and furniture, such as mattresses, pots, and cupboards, were next to them.
“On Monday, the red ants called the community and told us that they were in a position to evict us.
“But we were shocked that some of the residents did not receive the letter. We did not see the letter.
“We were expecting Emfuleni Local Municipality to come and sort out this whole thing.
“We were surprised to see the red ants demolishing our homes,” said the 34 year old.
Oliphant Chabedi said it was hard and painful to see his home and belongings destroyed.
He said they were given an hour’s warning before their shacks were demolished.
“These people have messed with our lives. We have been sleeping here since Monday.
“We are scared, and it is cold, but we have nowhere to go. This is why we stay as a group,” Chabedi said.
Jabulani Nhlapho said they occupied the land because the rent had become expensive as he was unemployed.
He said he was forced to send his two children to his uncle’s home in Zone 13, Sebokeng.
“We have left with no clothes, and our food was also stolen.
“I came here because I don’t work and I was struggling to pay rent.
“How am I going to pay rent if I go back and rent again?”
Judith Nhlapho, 44, said she was woken by loud noises and yelling.
She said she saw people in red overalls closing the corners.
“We tried to fight back as a community, but these people were heavily armed.
“The police also escorted them. We were shot with rubber bullets.
“One of my friends was shot in the leg.”
Nhlapho said she also sleeps in the streets.
“Some of the residents went to their relatives and some of us who have no options are sleeping in the streets.
“I don’t know anyone here. I come from Parys (Free State). I am just waiting to hear if there is anyone who can accommodate me. This is sad. I don’t work, and how am I going to buy clothes because they were also destroyed?”
Emfuleni Local Municipality spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said the municipality found it unfortunate that the matter escalated to forceful evictions, despite several attempts to forewarn the residents about the consequences of occupying land illegally.
Sangweni said the municipality was not in a position to assist the evicted residents in any shape or form.
He said the municipality remained committed to finding lasting solutions to the matter.
“The land is part of a turnkey mega-project currently under implementation by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlement, the developer and landowner,” Sangweni said.
He said it should not be noted that the municipality was observing the eviction as a victory, especially when meetings to find long-lasting solutions for the problem had no amicable conclusion in sight.
Sangweni said Emfuleni understood the disorder the eviction brought into the residents’ livelihoods, but the municipality jointly with other project stakeholders were equally charged with the prevention of land invasions for the successful implementation of the housing project.
A similar incident happened in Evaton – near Sebokeng, on May 12, where houses worth hundreds of thousands of rand were demolished.
Residents said they paid R22 000 to build on the land.
Although his house was not demolished, resident Goodman Hlatshwayo said he was worried that the TLB (tractor-loader-backhoe) might come again.
“This is sad. If they come and demolish, I will have to pay for the house that I don't own. I have paid more than R500 000 for this house, and I took a loan from the bank to build it.
“I know the company that sold us the stands (Wildebeesfontein properties and projects) has been fighting this since 2020.
“Still, we are thinking as a community to meet with the owners so we can talk about this and see if they sell us the land, even though it will be expensive, but we have no choice because we have already built our houses,” he said.
Another resident, Easther Mlambo, 52, said her son bought her the stand in 2018.
She said she was disappointed when she learnt the stand was bought illegally.
EFF leader in Gauteng Itani Mukwevhu blamed the ANC for the demolitions saying its government didn’t care about the plight of poor people.
“We’ve got the ANC government that doesn't care about our people, especially black people.
“You can’t remove the houses of the poor black people under the circumstances of this country, where unemployment is so high. These people try their best to survive.
“In Beverly Hills (Evaton West), we visited the area, and those people have the receipts of a person who sold them stands.
“The government was supposed to intervene and ask how these people came here and assisted them, not demolish the houses.
“A caring government would get involved and assist our people,” said Mukwevhu.
manyane.manyane@inl.co.za