Woman moves in District Six development illegally

An interdict and illegal occupation charges have been brought against a District Six claimant who “invaded” one of the new properties being built.

Rosemary Jacobs, 41, moved in as “restitution for the destruction of the original suburb by the apartheid government”.

Jacobs, who said her grandparents were forcibly removed, and is on a list of verified beneficiaries, also wanted to “expose corruption in the process of restitution”.

Jacobs, along with Tania Kleinhans from the Institute for the Restitution of the Aborigines of SA (Irasa), says that claimants are being “ripped off” by the District Six Beneficiary Trust.

Kleinhans said beneficiaries are being asked for money they do not have to receive their properties.

Last year, the trust said 1,060 claimants had been verified and would get three-bedroom homes worth about R1 million each in the new development. Claimants would be asked to contribute between R50,000 to R225,000 towards their homes. Claimants would not be allowed to sell their homes for at least 15 years.

“I have been on the waiting list. I have moved in on my own with my children. I broke the door and moved in on Monday. The police came here several times threatening to arrest me,” Jacobs told the Cape Argus.

Gary Ludwig, a beneficiary who has paid and moved into his property, claimed he had not received legal documents showing he owns the property.

“I live here and they would not let me move in without paying. We were granted restitution and banks won’t bond the houses. Where do they expect me to find the money? There are many empty houses because people cannot afford to pay,” he said.

District Six Beneficiary Trust chief executive Nas Ally said Jacobs had jumped the queue on the waiting list.

“She should be ashamed of herself. She broke in and invaded a house that has been allocated already. She must wait in line like everyone else. She has a birthright, just like a 1 000 others. There won’t be a free for all,” he said. Ally said 17 people have moved in already.

The plans provide for a total of 5,000 houses. Surplus houses will be available to the public to rent. The money would be used to make up the rest of the finance for claimants’ homes and to sustain the development once it is completed.

The government is providing seed funding for the construction of all claimants’ homes before money gets generated from the extra property. - Cape Argus