A legal Delft resident was caught in the middle of the mass evictions of illegal squatters, when officials removed her possessions from her home while she was at work.
Bongiwe Luthi was at work when her neighbours phoned her to say she was being evicted. Luthi instructed her neighbours to show the movers she had proof that she was legally occupying the house.
When the Cape Argus at-tempted to intervene after seeing papers that showed Luthi was a legal dweller, movers continued to load the truck and drove away.
"I had R1 000 under my mattress and I am not sure if I will get it back. My children are crying here and I don't know what to do," said Luthi.
Down the road, Cingiswa Pele and her neighbour Noma-themba Ngcengane acted quickly when the sheriff of the court told them they would soon be evicted.
The pair rushed to the Thubelisha offices with their proof of identification to rectify the bungle and the movers were apparently called off.
Thubelisha's Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, who said he had been informed of the bungle, added that he was not sure when Luthi's possessions would be returned.
Prince Xhanti said the sheriff of the court had not received instructions from his office to remove residents.
"When people started being evicted, we did not expect that this would happen and we have informed the police and the sheriff.
"It was a mistake on their part," he said.
Friday's action took place after mass evictions - and incidents of violence that left at least eight people injured on Tuesday - after illegal dwellers lost a court bid to remain in the homes they had moved into in December.
A heavy police contingent continued to patrol the area and oversaw movers completing the eviction process while a helicopter hovered over the area.
An SPCA vehicle also roamed the area and, according to the SPCA's Andries Venter, the association had an agreement with some residents to remove their animals for safe-keeping and return them once owners had found permanent housing.
Makeshift tents were erect-ed on the pavements directly opposite the N2 Gateway's Section 1 yesterday where some residents had spent the past two nights.
Jennifer Meyer and her companion collected an assortment of old doors to shelter her sparse belongings. She had no plan as to where she would stay.
By last night, dozens of informal structures had sprouted along Symphony Way in Section 1 and on an open field across from Section 2.
Despite mounting tensions in Delft ever since the evictions, the overall mood in the informal camps was calm last night.
Most police had vacated the area and only patrolled every half and hour or so.
Residents had been offered temporary accommodation in nearby Tsunami until a suitable piece of land could be found.
But many residents said they refused to take up the offer, fearing they would be "left and forgotten" in Tsunami for years.
Other residents said they had refused to allow their children to go to school because they were filthy.
"We don't have much here - only some blankets, no running water.
"But we are like a family here and everyone knows we will not leave here until we get houses in Delft," said Ursula Ferguson.
Several volunteers and NGOs fed the evicted breakfast and lunch at the N2 Gateway yesterday. - Cape Argus
Bongiwe Luthi was at work when her neighbours phoned her to say she was being evicted. Luthi instructed her neighbours to show the movers she had proof that she was legally occupying the house.
When the Cape Argus at-tempted to intervene after seeing papers that showed Luthi was a legal dweller, movers continued to load the truck and drove away.
| 'I had R1 000 under my mattress' |
Down the road, Cingiswa Pele and her neighbour Noma-themba Ngcengane acted quickly when the sheriff of the court told them they would soon be evicted.
The pair rushed to the Thubelisha offices with their proof of identification to rectify the bungle and the movers were apparently called off.
Thubelisha's Prince Xhanti Sigcawu, who said he had been informed of the bungle, added that he was not sure when Luthi's possessions would be returned.
Prince Xhanti said the sheriff of the court had not received instructions from his office to remove residents.
| 'My children are crying' |
"It was a mistake on their part," he said.
Friday's action took place after mass evictions - and incidents of violence that left at least eight people injured on Tuesday - after illegal dwellers lost a court bid to remain in the homes they had moved into in December.
A heavy police contingent continued to patrol the area and oversaw movers completing the eviction process while a helicopter hovered over the area.
An SPCA vehicle also roamed the area and, according to the SPCA's Andries Venter, the association had an agreement with some residents to remove their animals for safe-keeping and return them once owners had found permanent housing.
Makeshift tents were erect-ed on the pavements directly opposite the N2 Gateway's Section 1 yesterday where some residents had spent the past two nights.
Jennifer Meyer and her companion collected an assortment of old doors to shelter her sparse belongings. She had no plan as to where she would stay.
"My plan is to stay here on this very spot. I go to the bush when I want to use the toilet, I have no choice," she said.
By last night, dozens of informal structures had sprouted along Symphony Way in Section 1 and on an open field across from Section 2.
Despite mounting tensions in Delft ever since the evictions, the overall mood in the informal camps was calm last night.
Most police had vacated the area and only patrolled every half and hour or so.
Residents had been offered temporary accommodation in nearby Tsunami until a suitable piece of land could be found.
But many residents said they refused to take up the offer, fearing they would be "left and forgotten" in Tsunami for years.
Other residents said they had refused to allow their children to go to school because they were filthy.
"We don't have much here - only some blankets, no running water.
"But we are like a family here and everyone knows we will not leave here until we get houses in Delft," said Ursula Ferguson.
Several volunteers and NGOs fed the evicted breakfast and lunch at the N2 Gateway yesterday. - Cape Argus
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