Ninety-six Honingklip residents from 68 households were removed from Portion 1 and Portion 2 of Plot 181 along the N14 on June 24 after a court authorised their eviction.

According to Mogale City Local Municipality mayoral spokesperson Palesa Molefe, the residents had been occupying the property near Pinehaven.

Molefe said many of those evicted are registered for government-subsidised housing but have refused to relocate to temporary accommodation in Kromdraai.

“They are demanding placement at Plot 11, as it is closer to their places of work and preserves their economic livelihood,” she said.

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Emergency relief provided

Molefe said the municipality activated its Disaster Management unit in collaboration with the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre to provide emergency assistance following the eviction.

Relief supplies distributed included:

• 70 two-piece chicken meals
• 70 blankets
• 70 hygiene packs
• 80 diapers
• 10 boxes of baby wet wipes
• 70 sleeping mats
• 70 five-litre bottles of water

She said several government officials, including Mogale City Mayor Lucky Sele, engaged on the matter and resolved to provide temporary accommodation for the affected residents at Plot 11, along with a broader intervention package.

“We call upon the affected community to co-operate fully in safeguarding Plot 11, which remains a strategic provincial human settlements site currently undergoing servicing for future development. The preservation of this land in good condition is non-negotiable,” Molefe said.

Sele reiterated that Plot 11 is one of Gauteng’s priority human settlements development sites and is being prepared for formal housing delivery.

“It is therefore imperative that the community treats this land with the utmost care and responsibility, ensuring its integrity is maintained for the broader public good,” he said.

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Concerns raised during engagement

Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela urged residents not to allow unauthorised people onto the property, saying this would help preserve the integrity of the intervention and prevent opportunistic land occupations.

She added that emergency medical services were on site during the eviction, with two critically ill residents requiring medical attention.

“One of them was a pregnant woman. However, the second critically ill individual, an elderly resident, was denied hospital care due to the refusal of their family to accept the assistance proffered by the state,” she said.

During his engagement with residents, Sele acknowledged concerns over evictions in the area. He said he met with Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane and Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso on June 29 to discuss the matter.

“We remain resolutely committed to the principles of humane, dignified and constitutionally compliant governance. The intervention is not merely a reactive measure, but a deliberate step towards restorative justice and sustainable human settlement for the people of Honingklip. We will neither abandon our people to the indignity of homelessness nor permit the exploitation of the vulnerable for private gain,” Molefe concluded.