Isolezwe: Evictions Terror Hits Sea Cow Lake Again

Update:7 March 2008 Click here for an article in the Sowetan on a protest by people made homeless in this patently illegal eviction.

Update:13 November 2007 Click here to see an article in the Daily News on the (Slums Act?) ‘transit camp’ that has been set up for the evicted families.

After 15 years of living in a settled community people are now being evicted, apparently with a court order, after the municipality sold off the public owned land (that had been popularly appropriated for a new commonage) to a private owner. Last time around people in Sea Cow Lake vigorously resisted eviction. This is not an Abahlali settlement but, from outside, it seems unlikely that the court support for the eviction would stand up to an appeal given that people are being left homeless.

If the Slums Act wasn’t directly appealed to to get this eviction through all the anti-poor and anti-shacks language around it would certainly have created a climate in which breaking down people’s homes with a bulldozer and leaving them homeless is considered ‘acceptable’….(And Mabuyakulu and Mabaso said that this was a ‘revolutionary policy’ which ‘only slum lords would fear’…)

http://www.isolezwe.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4115891

Basale benkemile bedilizelwa imijondolo

November 06, 2007 Edition 1 Click here for Pictures.

PHILI MJOLI

Basale dengwane abanikazi bemijondolo base-Sea Cow Lake ngaphandle kweTheku abadilizelwe imijondolo yabo ngoba kuthiwa umhlaba abakhe kuwo udayisiwe.

Lezi zakhamuzi zithi sekuphele iminyaka engaphezulu kuka-15 zihlala kule ndawo futhi noMkhandlu weTheku unolwazi ngabo.

Okhulumela lo mphakathi, uMnuz Simphiwe Mpithi, uthe bona bebazi ukuthi ingu-28 kwengu-98 imijondolo ezodilizwa kule ndawo esendaweni ethengiwe kodwa izolo incwadi efike nesikhonzi senkantolo ithe yonke imijondolo iyadilizwa.

“Asazi ukuthi sizoshonaphi ngoba uMnyango wezeZindlu wathembisa ukutholela laba abangu-28 indawo yokuhlala kodwa manje bonke sebeshona ezintangeni. Thina asizingenelanga emhlabeni wabantu abazimele ngenkani kodwa yibo abasifice sikhona,” kusho uMpithi.

Ikhansela lakule ndawo, uMnuz Preeth Ramchumran, lithe kuningi okungalungile okwenziwe ngesikhathi kudingidwa lolu daba.

Uthe ngokubona kwakhe ubulungiswa abenziwanga ngoba ngesikhathi befake icala enkantolo, labalahla kwathiwa bakhe kule ndawo ngokungemthetho.

“Ngaphezu kwalokho sacela ukuthi bafake isicelo sokwedlulisa icala kodwa konke lokhu akwenzekanga. Bebelokhu besithembisa ukusishayela ucingo kodwa lutho. Kuyadabukisa ukuthi abantu abampofu kuleli abakwazi ukusizakala ngakwezomthetho,” usho kanje.

Uthe lo mphakathi awungeni ngaphansi kohlelo lokudilizwa kwemijondolo ngoba kade wafika.

Uthe abanikazi abasha bale ndawo bale baphetha ukubambisana naye ekusombululeni le nkinga maqede bathenga amapulangwe ashibhile bawanika lo mphakathi bathi awuzibonele ukuthi uzoshonaphi.

“Abanalo ilungelo lokudiliza imijondolo engekho endaweni yabo, ngakho-ke sizobuyela enkantolo,” usho kanje .

UNksz Khululiwe Goqo nezingane zakhe ezimbili bebekhungathekile bengazi ukuthi bazoshonaphi.

Kubukeka sengathi kusekude ukufinyelelwa esivumelwaneni ngalolu daba ngoba abaphathi bale ndawo bathi bazi ukuthi indawo ngeyabo kanti necala baliwina enkantolo.

Ngesikhathi Isolezwe liye kule ndawo izolo lixoxe nabaphathi be-Exotic Kitchens okuthiwa bathenge le ndawo.

“Thina sidilize okusendaweni yethu futhi imijondolo esiyidilizile ingaphansi kuka-20,” usho kanje wangafuna ukuphe-ndula eminye imibuzo.