Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Macassar doesn’t want Lwandle evictees

Cape Town - Macassar, Cape Town, residents protested on Wednesday against plans to relocate Lwandle evictees to their area, the SABC reported.

According to the public broadcaster, Macassar residents wanted the City of Cape Town to prioritise their housing needs instead of relocating the Lwandle residents.

Protesters threw stones, burnt tyres in the streets and damaged the fence around a local shopping mall.

The protest turned violent on Tuesday and 15 people were arrested, causing the closure of various shops in the area, the SABC reported.

Hundreds of families were evicted from land belonging to the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) in Lwandle at the beginning of June.

Their shacks were demolished and set alight. Many lost their personal possessions and were left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Back-and-forth negotiations followed between the shack dwellers, the city, Sanral, and the national human settlements department.

A community hall has been used to house the families in the interim.

Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu agreed to a plan to move the families back to the land they were evicted from until the city had completed the Macassar housing project.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille had given Lwandle evictees a written undertaking they would receive individual serviced sites in this housing project.

- Sapa

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