Communities Against Undeveloped Settlements (CAUSe), a local forum that supports planned settlements, is unhappy about the Provincial Government’s decision to relocate evicted residents to a piece of land without basic human necessities.
Chairperson of CAUSe, Karolyn Nunyiri said, “We encourage and support planned settlements that provide basic human necessities such as water, electricity, sewerage and as access to transport corridors.”
About 250 residents were evicted from a plot in Honeydew Ridge on 14 March and days later were catered for by Gauteng Disaster Management which provided land, tents and food for them.
The evicted residents were moved to land close to Hans Street and Hoëveld Road.
Nunyiri, and other concerned members, formed the forum in 2015 due to illegal land invasions in the area, argued against the relocation as she claims that the land has no access to basic services and infrastructure.
“Lack of infrastructure may result in unhygienic situations that will impact on the Plot 16 Magnum evictees, the people residing in the surrounding properties and the environment,” she said.
She also disclosed that the evictees, at some stage, would be relocated, as the piece of land was set aside for construction.
“The Department of Roads and Infrastructure Development [Gauteng Province] has confirmed that the plans for road construction have not been eliminated. This means at some point in time, these people will once again face eviction,” explained Nunyiri.
“It should be mentioned that this situation was never declared a ‘disaster’ – which begs the question of why Provincial Disaster Management is driving the process.”
In finding a solution, Nunyiri, said, “We believe that the Gauteng Provincial Government should talk to the Johannesburg Council to understand what temporary accommodation has been made available as well as what solutions are being worked on.”
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