Sisulu's house centre of fight - large family evicted

A HOUSE that belonged to Minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe Sisulu is at the centre of a storm involving the new owner and a large family of tenants.

Ruskiya Karaniya, who has lived in the house in Yeoville, Johannesburg, for the past 11 years, accuses Sisulu of selling the house without giving her notice.

Sisulu's spokesman Ndivhuwo Mabaya confirmed the house was sold six months ago.

"Those people living there were given notice and they know the house was sold," said Mabaya.

The new owner, Sibusiso Maphisa, said he was now renovating the house, which he bought from Sisulu six months ago.

However, Karaniya and 22 family members said they could not move out of the house as they were not notified in time about the sale.

She accused Maphisa, a metro police officer, of threatening to kill them should they not move out soon.

"We are not refusing to move out if it is the case that the house has been sold but at least they should give us three months notice," said Karaniya, a Congolese national.

"We are a big family and there is no way we can just move out. We need to look for another big place where we can stay."

Sowetan found the house in a dilapidated state yesterday with no doors or windows, broken furniture, electric cables stripped off the walls, damaged water pipes, a leaking geyser and a passage flooded with water.

Karaniya said the damage was caused by Maphisa.

Maphisa denied the allegations.

"Those people are lying . I do not know if it is a crime to renovate your house but if it is so you know there are lawyers and courts as well as police, [then] I should be arrested."

Karaniya, who has been paying R7000 monthly rent to property agents Trafalgar for the past 11 years, said she felt she had been betrayed by Sisulu as she had added another two bedrooms outside and plastered the whole yard.

"I never missed any payment, not even one rand, but today I am being evicted like a dog.

"Even if she has sold the house, I feel she should have also told me about it so that I would have made an offer too," Karaniya said.

Maphisa's lawyer, Abram Mogoboya, said: "If the tenant and the landlord had it on agreement that when the house is sold, the tenant would get first preference, then there can be a strong case, but we do not know the terms between Sisulu and Karaniya."

ndlovus@sowetan.co.za

- Sowetan