'Council demolished shacks, so it must rebuild them' (Pretoria News)
NINE-year-old Pule Mahese and his family have been sleeping under the stars in Bremmer Street, Claremont, for the past two weeks since their shack was demolished by a service provider of the Tshwane Metro Council, but they may soon have a roof over their head again. In spite of sleeping out in the open, little Pule has not missed a single day of school at Tuinerand Primary, which he has attended for the past five years.
His family were one of 12 whose shacks were demolished at an informal settlement in Bremmer Street under an order issued by the Pretoria High Court last year in favour of Batlokomedi Management Services, which provides security services for the council. The security provider obtained the eviction order in the absence of the informal settlement residents.
On February 2, it tore down the shacks. Many of the families had small children. Several of the children, like Pule, have attended schools in the area for many years. The residents said they had believed the Tshwane Metro Council would find them alternative housing before evicting them.
The families, with the assistance of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), fought for their rights and obtained an order on Friday rescinding the previous order. The high court ordered that Batlokomedi Management Services return the building materials by the weekend.
The company delivered the materials on Friday and Saturday, but yesterday afternoon these lay in two large piles of timber and corrugated iron sheets. The small community says the company has not returned all the materials.
It has demanded that the company reconstruct the shacks. "I have been sleeping outside with my children for 13 days," said Pule's father, Jimmy Mahese. Petrus Swartbooi said he was angry that he had to rebuild his shack. "They broke down our homes, so they must come back here and rebuild them," he said.
Lawyer Louise du Plessis said the families would be able to rebuild their shacks and remain on the property for now. Questions were raised by LHR about why Batlokomedi Management Services went to court to obtain the eviction order as the property belonged to the council. The council, however, was not a party to the proceedings.
Questions were also raised about Batlokomedi Management apparently using the services of Zimbabweans to help break down the shacks earlier this month. Jacob van Garderen of LHR said while the group had no problem with foreigners being given jobs, it was irresponsible to use them in this case.
"This is a sensitive issue and the residents evicted were upset," he said. "It is irresponsible to place the safety of the Zimbabweans at stake." The council apparently told the residents last year that they had been identified for low-cost housing in Danville. The families remained in Bremmer Street, awaiting their relocation to these homes. They say that instead of receiving these homes, they were served with the eviction order granted in their absence.
His family were one of 12 whose shacks were demolished at an informal settlement in Bremmer Street under an order issued by the Pretoria High Court last year in favour of Batlokomedi Management Services, which provides security services for the council. The security provider obtained the eviction order in the absence of the informal settlement residents.
On February 2, it tore down the shacks. Many of the families had small children. Several of the children, like Pule, have attended schools in the area for many years. The residents said they had believed the Tshwane Metro Council would find them alternative housing before evicting them.
The families, with the assistance of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), fought for their rights and obtained an order on Friday rescinding the previous order. The high court ordered that Batlokomedi Management Services return the building materials by the weekend.
The company delivered the materials on Friday and Saturday, but yesterday afternoon these lay in two large piles of timber and corrugated iron sheets. The small community says the company has not returned all the materials.
It has demanded that the company reconstruct the shacks. "I have been sleeping outside with my children for 13 days," said Pule's father, Jimmy Mahese. Petrus Swartbooi said he was angry that he had to rebuild his shack. "They broke down our homes, so they must come back here and rebuild them," he said.
Lawyer Louise du Plessis said the families would be able to rebuild their shacks and remain on the property for now. Questions were raised by LHR about why Batlokomedi Management Services went to court to obtain the eviction order as the property belonged to the council. The council, however, was not a party to the proceedings.
Questions were also raised about Batlokomedi Management apparently using the services of Zimbabweans to help break down the shacks earlier this month. Jacob van Garderen of LHR said while the group had no problem with foreigners being given jobs, it was irresponsible to use them in this case.
"This is a sensitive issue and the residents evicted were upset," he said. "It is irresponsible to place the safety of the Zimbabweans at stake." The council apparently told the residents last year that they had been identified for low-cost housing in Danville. The families remained in Bremmer Street, awaiting their relocation to these homes. They say that instead of receiving these homes, they were served with the eviction order granted in their absence.
by Zelda Venter