24 October 2024
Police and municipal police on site after the demolition of dozens of shacks at the Magebhula informal settlement in KwaDukuza. Photo: Tsoanelo Sefoloko
The KwaDukuza municipality has demolished more than 50 shacks at the Magebhula informal settlement next to Shayamoya. About 400 people have been left homeless, according to a community leader.
The settlement, on municipal land, was formed about four months ago. It is a short drive to Stanger. A previous attempt, in 2022, to occupy the land was quashed by municipal police, according to community leader Xolani Malinga.
When GroundUp visited the settlement on Saturday 19 October, most people had been sleeping in the open for several days since the shacks were demolished the previous Thursday. One shack had been rebuilt to accommodate children and a few adults most in need of shelter. Municipal police and SAPS were on the scene, telling residents to leave the land. But after negotiations with community leaders, the police left.
KwaDukuza municipality corporate communication officer Sifiso Zulu said the municipality had obtained a court order against the occupation of the land. He said the occupation was in violation of the court order and as a result SAPS had been asked to demolish the shacks.
Residents said the municipality should have found them an alternative place to stay. They said they had nowhere to go and many did not have jobs.
Malinga said the residents had been told years ago that the land was for RDP housing. But when they did not see any housing being built on the land, they decided to occupy it in spite of the threat of eviction.
“We will let them demolish our shacks because they have all the resources to do it but we will rebuild. We want to build our own houses on the land that was reserved for the housing project: we have been waiting for a very long time now,” said Malinga.
Resident Ntombi Samani, who has five children, says she moved onto the land because it was overcrowded at home and she could not afford to pay rent. She relies on child support grants and an income of R1,500 a month from a job in the community.
“I wanted my own space with my children,” she said.
But Zulu said people who tried to jump the housing queue “are disrespecting the rule of law and the rights of law-abiding citizens” .
“There are people who have been patiently waiting for their turn to receive houses,” he said.