60 left living on busy Musgrave Road after eviction
Sixty people living in a block of flats in Musgrave have been left ‘homeless’ after being served with an eviction notice six days ago.
SCORES of people have been left sleeping on the streets for the past six days in Peter Mokaba Road, Musgrave, after they were told to evacuate the building they were staying in. The 60 residents, which include children, are now living alongside the busy road.
“I have been staying here for two years now. We had a caretaker and an administrator who oversaw the running of the building. Last year, when we started getting electricity cuts from the municipality, we then asked if we could have a meeting with the landlord, but we never saw or heard from the administrator or caretaker again. And then a group of people who called themselves a trust came this year and told us they were the rightful owners of the building and we needed to leave. We then took the matter to court and we continued staying until six days ago when the supposed owners came with the police,” said one of the evicted residents, 52-year-old Mthuthuzeli Dlomo.
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The residents of the building say they have nowhere to go and have braved the persistent Durban rains this past weekend.
When the Berea Mail arrived at the site of the eviction, we were met by Cassim Malani, head of JBC Security, who said he was employed by the owners of the building to guard it.
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Ward 31 councillor Remona Mckenzie said, “As a councillor, I cannot interfere in this matter any more than I have, as this is now a civil lawsuit between the tenants and the owners of the buildings. I will give support as a councillor until the matter is resolved. Some of the other residents have offered to help with tents because these people have been left in the rain, and they have small children, and they have requested a place for them to sleep. But as you can understand, people are reluctant because what if they give them space and they don’t move?”
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