Anti-Eviction Press Release on behalf of Mandala Park
26 October 2009

Evictions are renewed in Mandela Park

The residents of Mandela Park in Khayelitsha are reliving their worst nightmares once again - residents are being evicted from their homes just like five years ago.

More than 200 homes have been served with eviction orders, with approximately 10 evictions having taken place in the past two weeks alone. However with the help of the community those families are not on the streets as they have been returned to their homes forcefully by the residents.

At a community meeting held yesterday people spoke of a white VW Golf, with three armed men who have been taking down addresses and making "appointments" with the residents to do "evaluations" of the people homes so that they will be sold at auctions whether we like it or not. People are now living in fear as we do mot know when these people are going to return to continue their terror and render the poor people of Mandela Park homeless.

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1068831

MEC under siege over ‘false promise’
23 September 2009
Anna Majavu

Tenants await ‘their’ houses

NEW Western Cape housing MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela is on a collision course with backyard residents from Mandela Park in Khayelitsha.

The tenants have accused him of breaking a promise to give them houses in a new development.

But Madikizela has counter-accused residents of causing a R1million worth of damage to houses during a weekend protest.

Anti-Eviction Campaign Press Release on Behalf of Mandela Park Backyarders 15h00 on 20 Semptember, 2009

23 Mandela Park Backyarders Arrested

23 Mandela Park Backyard Community Members have been arrested and are currently being held in a waiting cell in the Harare Police Station in Khayelitsha on wrongful assumptions by the police. Protests have occurred based on the false promise of housing by Minister Madikizele.

Community members were very upset with the report from the embassy of housing Madikizele who promised them 23 housing units in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha. At a meeting on the 16th of September, the department of housing minister, Madikizele, retracted his previous promise. He manipulated the community by claiming they misunderstood the previous promise to houses. When the community members went back to give the report to the community, the community got upset and said that no one should benefit from houses if they are not going to be democratically allocated and if the minister is going to lie. The community proceeded in protest and the houses were vandalised starting yesterday, September 19th. The community members tried to explain to the police what was happening and no one was injured during the process.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20090811114952837C885351

Backyard dwellers demand change

August 11 2009 at 01:18PM

By Francis Hweshe

Angry backyard dwellers in Khayelitsha's Mandela Park - who burnt tyres in the streets of their neighbourhood - have given the provincial housing department a week to address their concerns or they will illegally occupy empty housing units in the area.

The residents, who protested there on Monday as police and private security guards kept a close watch, say they are at their wits' end and want action now.