AEC: Evictions are renewed in Mandela Park

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.

This is all happening against the background of government having promised the residents that they will finally get title deeds to these homes. These homes are of an inferior standard than RDP houses but still we, as the poor, continue to face threats of evictions.

The strange part of this story is that some other people did in fact get the title deeds through the government. The mystery though is why these few people got their deeds while others didn’t and are therefore facing the reality of spending cold nights on the streets?

A few weeks ago

This eviction crisis comes on the backs of the chaos broke out in Mandela Park when the Housing MEC lied when he promised that Backyarders would get the empty RDP houses build in the area. He then changed his words saying he was misunderstood by the residents. But much of the media was there and they know that the MEC lied.

At the same meeting that he made those promises, he also promised to look into the eviction crisis in Mandela Park and issue us with long promised title deeds. Needless to say that did not happen either. People got arrested after their protest actions and he has not returned to Mandela Park to address the people about the eviction crisis.

It is important to note that MEC Madikizela was once also a part of the local Ward Development Forum in the area and we believe that he is fighting past political battles using his new found power at that expense of the poor masses of Mandela Park.

We need every support we can get to stop this madness.

We also deserve to live a normal life; free of intimidation and free political gimmicks.

Down with all evictions everywhere!

For more information, please contact:

Mabhuti at 082 9978 475
Loyiso at 073 7662 078
Sluja at 071 4331 101