TRAFFIC came to a standstill last week Wednesday when shack dwellers and police clashed on the corner of Modderdam and Stellenbosch Roads.
Residents of Freedom Farm informal settlement decided to demonstrate and vent their anger on motorists by blockading the road with burning tyres.
The problem they said started the previous Saturday, Sunday and on Wednesday morning when they alleged law enforcement police officers arrived and demolished their shacks without giving them a warning first to vacate the area.
Freedom Farm is situated between the Belhar cemetery and Cape Town international airport.
Traffic came to a standstill as police vans and fire brigades rushed to the area to estinguish both fire and people’s anger.
Sophia Moodey (29) has two children and has been living in Freedom Farm for sixteen years.
“We are not animals or criminals and do not deserve to be treated like this.
“People’s houses were demolished and some of them don’t even know as they were at work.
“Another man lost his eye after being shot with a rubber bullet by the law enforcement police and is in hospital as we speak,” said Moodey.
Moodey said the people who were evicted and their houses demolished had paid between R200 and R500 to build their houses there.
Khuliwe Gqalaqha said people fear for their lives and were afraid to say who was selling them the land.
She said people were afraid to fall asleep at night. “People are removed forcefully and their houses are destroyed.”
Ziyanda Makhaba said she received a phone call from one of the neighbours that their houses were being demolished.
“I left everything at work and ran as fast as I can to get here in time to save my belongings before they got stolen.
“Why is the law enforcement not giving us a warning first instead of just demolishing our shacks?” asked Makhaba.
Police tried to negotiate their way to have the angry community stop burning tyres and infringed the rights of the motorists and advised them to get their leaders instead to approach the ward councillor of the area about their problem.
The community said it was the third time their houses have been demolished since Saturday. They simply re-build it.
Close to 70 shacks have been demolished so far in the area.
One policeman said the Cape Town airport was a national strategic point and people are not allowed to build their houses next to the airport.
The police officer said the houses were built too close to the airport fence.
Mr Dan Plato, mayco member for housing in the City of Cape Town, said according to the information received only new structures were destroyed. He said a specific community leader in the area was selling sites at R200 with a promise that they will become beneficiaries of the N2 Gateway housing project and that was illegal.
Plato said community leaders have requested the city of Cape Town to re-open the N2 gateway list for communities of Freedom Farm to become beneficiaries in the N2 Gateway project.
He said the people whose houses were demolished received wrong information from these community leaders. “My response was that the city was not responsible for compiling of the beneficiaries list, that is for Thubelisha Homes to do. No one has the right to go and erect structures where ever they want and that is why the city demolished those new structures,” said Plato.
Plato said the city officials on the ground did give prior warning to those people not to erect structures and they ignored the warning.
He said the official did communicate with the people to go back to where they came from.
“Their leaders had requested a meeting with the city officials and councillors,” said Plato.
- TygerBurger
Residents of Freedom Farm informal settlement decided to demonstrate and vent their anger on motorists by blockading the road with burning tyres.
The problem they said started the previous Saturday, Sunday and on Wednesday morning when they alleged law enforcement police officers arrived and demolished their shacks without giving them a warning first to vacate the area.
Freedom Farm is situated between the Belhar cemetery and Cape Town international airport.
Traffic came to a standstill as police vans and fire brigades rushed to the area to estinguish both fire and people’s anger.
Sophia Moodey (29) has two children and has been living in Freedom Farm for sixteen years.
“We are not animals or criminals and do not deserve to be treated like this.
“People’s houses were demolished and some of them don’t even know as they were at work.
“Another man lost his eye after being shot with a rubber bullet by the law enforcement police and is in hospital as we speak,” said Moodey.
Moodey said the people who were evicted and their houses demolished had paid between R200 and R500 to build their houses there.
Khuliwe Gqalaqha said people fear for their lives and were afraid to say who was selling them the land.
She said people were afraid to fall asleep at night. “People are removed forcefully and their houses are destroyed.”
Ziyanda Makhaba said she received a phone call from one of the neighbours that their houses were being demolished.
“I left everything at work and ran as fast as I can to get here in time to save my belongings before they got stolen.
“Why is the law enforcement not giving us a warning first instead of just demolishing our shacks?” asked Makhaba.
Police tried to negotiate their way to have the angry community stop burning tyres and infringed the rights of the motorists and advised them to get their leaders instead to approach the ward councillor of the area about their problem.
The community said it was the third time their houses have been demolished since Saturday. They simply re-build it.
Close to 70 shacks have been demolished so far in the area.
One policeman said the Cape Town airport was a national strategic point and people are not allowed to build their houses next to the airport.
The police officer said the houses were built too close to the airport fence.
Mr Dan Plato, mayco member for housing in the City of Cape Town, said according to the information received only new structures were destroyed. He said a specific community leader in the area was selling sites at R200 with a promise that they will become beneficiaries of the N2 Gateway housing project and that was illegal.
Plato said community leaders have requested the city of Cape Town to re-open the N2 gateway list for communities of Freedom Farm to become beneficiaries in the N2 Gateway project.
He said the people whose houses were demolished received wrong information from these community leaders. “My response was that the city was not responsible for compiling of the beneficiaries list, that is for Thubelisha Homes to do. No one has the right to go and erect structures where ever they want and that is why the city demolished those new structures,” said Plato.
Plato said the city officials on the ground did give prior warning to those people not to erect structures and they ignored the warning.
He said the official did communicate with the people to go back to where they came from.
“Their leaders had requested a meeting with the city officials and councillors,” said Plato.
- TygerBurger
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