Emotions ran high in Eastridge and Tafelsig last night, as residents and police rushed to protect 280 nearly-completed homes from invasion.
In what appears to be an organised effort, a group of about 100 people grew through the night, and attempted to take over homes which had already been assigned to people on the housing waiting list.
Eastridge residents armed with sticks, planks, and even a golf club, guarded the as-yet-unoccupied council houses. About 40 people patrolled the edges of the area, which is bordered by Swartklip and Spine Road.
According to residents, several taxis carrying the would-be invaders, as well as bakkies loaded with furniture, arrived at Eastridge earlier in the evening. Invaders started to set up tyres and tree branches to set alight as part of the protest, but the police and metro police forced them to disperse.
Those on guard said they themselves had only moved into their new homes in Eastridge in the past four to five months. Residents said the houses were already allocated to people who had been on the housing list for over 20 years, and were waiting for water and electricity to be made available before moving in.
Several homes were vandalised, with doors and windows smashed in, and the city said today that it would ask the police to investigate the matter and press charges if the culprits were identified.
Mayoral committee members for housing, Shehaam Simms, and social development, Grant Pascoe, both said the invasions were "definitely" an organised effort.
While Pascoe said he did not want to point fingers, those who arrived to take over the nearly complete homes were young people singing Awulethe umshini wami.
"There was a clear political agenda," Pascoe said today.
Simms said information obtained during the city's investigation into housing fraud would also inform the investigation, as it was found that a person in a position to allocate housing to beneficiaries may have been giving homes to family members, and this may have played a role.
The Cape Argus witnessed and heard racially loaded comments hurled by the groups at one another.
This morning, both areas were quiet, with mostly construction workers and some law enforcement officers on site.
- Cape Argus
In what appears to be an organised effort, a group of about 100 people grew through the night, and attempted to take over homes which had already been assigned to people on the housing waiting list.
Eastridge residents armed with sticks, planks, and even a golf club, guarded the as-yet-unoccupied council houses. About 40 people patrolled the edges of the area, which is bordered by Swartklip and Spine Road.
According to residents, several taxis carrying the would-be invaders, as well as bakkies loaded with furniture, arrived at Eastridge earlier in the evening. Invaders started to set up tyres and tree branches to set alight as part of the protest, but the police and metro police forced them to disperse.
Those on guard said they themselves had only moved into their new homes in Eastridge in the past four to five months. Residents said the houses were already allocated to people who had been on the housing list for over 20 years, and were waiting for water and electricity to be made available before moving in.
Several homes were vandalised, with doors and windows smashed in, and the city said today that it would ask the police to investigate the matter and press charges if the culprits were identified.
Mayoral committee members for housing, Shehaam Simms, and social development, Grant Pascoe, both said the invasions were "definitely" an organised effort.
While Pascoe said he did not want to point fingers, those who arrived to take over the nearly complete homes were young people singing Awulethe umshini wami.
"There was a clear political agenda," Pascoe said today.
Simms said information obtained during the city's investigation into housing fraud would also inform the investigation, as it was found that a person in a position to allocate housing to beneficiaries may have been giving homes to family members, and this may have played a role.
The Cape Argus witnessed and heard racially loaded comments hurled by the groups at one another.
This morning, both areas were quiet, with mostly construction workers and some law enforcement officers on site.
- Cape Argus
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