Mercury: Land owner to take legal action to evict tenants

According to CALS Govenders’ attempt to legally evict his tenants has no chance of success. Click here to read the CALS letter to Govender’s attorney.

http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4569458

Land owner to take legal action to evict tenants

August 21, 2008 Edition 1

Tania Broughton

MOTALA Heights land owner Ricky Govender, who stands accused of waging a “war of attrition” against some of his tenants to force them off the land so that he can develop it, says they are “delusional” and are fabricating stories against him.

Residents have already secured two high court interdicts against him, stopping what they claim is a campaign of harassment and abuse.

But Govender, in opposing the latest interdict, which was granted by the Durban High Court in June, says he has instituted legal proceedings to evict the unlawful tenants. And, he says, he has been forced to protect his reputation from “unjustified attacks” launched to prevent him from developing the land.

Motala Heights, situated on the edge of Pinetown, is made up of a new wealthy suburb, old tin houses and a shack settlement.

In their court application, residents James Pillay, his wife Gunumn Pillay and their neighbour, Mallie Govender, said Govender had threatened to bulldoze their houses and dump rubbish on their properties.

In his opposing affidavit filed with the Durban High Court, Govender says none of it is true.

Govender denied this and claimed James Pillay and Mallie Govender, while claiming to be unemployed, operated businesses from the property. He had offered to relocate them.

Govender also claimed that James Pillay was a convicted drug dealer.