West Cape News: Anti-eviction campaign takes a stand in Langa

AbM believes that the committee is corrupt and is calling for a new process of allocation that is open and democratic to be followed. AbM is not demanding to monopolise the distribution of TRA structures as the anonymous source in this article claims.

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Anti-eviction campaign takes a stand in Langa

The hundreds of Temporary Relocation Area dwellings initially erected in 2005 to provide temporary relief for victims of the fire in Langa’s Joe Slovo informal settlement that left about 12 000 people homeless, have become the centre of allegations of bribery and corruption.

With most of the original fire victims relocated to Delft or back into new developments in Langa, the approximately 500 dwellings are currently being used to house people from Joe Slovo who need to move to make way for Housing Development Agency projects in the area.

But the anti-eviction movement Abahlali BaseMjondolo allege that an HDA official and community leaders are taking cash in exchange for placing certain families in the TRA dwellings.

In what they claim is an effort to put a stop to such corruption, the ABM is placing its own members in dwellings that become available when a dwelling after a tenant is permanently relocated.

This has led to a showdown between ABM supporters and the City’s Anti Land Invasion Unit.

The last standoff was believed to have been on Friday last week when ABM supporters surrounded the TRA dwelling occupied by ABM member Tumi Ramahlele after the Anti Land Invasion Unit attempted to evict him.

Ramahlele was the first ABM member to occupy an available dwelling.

According to Langa ABM acting chairperson Cindy Ketani, there are more than 40 dwellings in the TRA being illegally occupied but Ramahlele is being targeted because he is an ABM member.

On Monday Ramahlele said several meetings with the HDA had been held in which the HDA were asked to move young adults into houses as they became available.

He said many young people who had been relocated with their parents in 2005 had now grown up and required space of their own.

Furthermore, Ramahlele alleged that some of the TRA dwellings were being sold by an HDA official and community leaders for R3 000.

The ABM made their own list of people who should take occupation of a TRA dwelling once a tenant had been relocated to an RDP house.

“These Abahlali BaseMjondolo people are telling people here that once they are re-located they must give their keys to them and not to community leaders. Once they get a key they put someone in from their list,“ said a TRA residents who asked not to be named.

Contacted for comment the HDA Cape Town office said questions needed to be directed to their head office in Johannesburg.

However, HDA deputy information officer in Johannesburg, Kate Shand said she would send the questions to the Cape Town office.

No response had been forthcoming before going to press. – Nombulelo Damba