By Max Rambau, CORC
In the past month, shacks have been destroyed due to eviction orders by the municipalities of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg in Gauteng province. In June the communities of Gabon and Chris Hani (Etwatwa) near Daveyton, Ekurhuleni were dispossessed of their homes through violence and destruction. Last week, residents of Kliptown suffered a similar fate.
On 28 June, the Greater Kliptown Committee, which includes all community organizations in the area, gathered to discuss the demolition of shack by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Muncipality Council. The meeting was well-attended. Some community members blamed community leaders who had not attended the meeting, charging that they were responsible for pointing out shack to be demolished. These leaders, community members claimed, were receiving bribes for such actions.
The community resolved to work with the Informal Settlement Network leadership to get a lawyer to represent the families affected by the demolitions.
The community also took a decision that all the men in the area would go and spend the night with the families whose houses were destroyed. This also included a resolution that the Ward Councilor should be amongst the men who will be at the affected families’ homes.