No solution for squatters
MIDRAND - Vagrants on a vacant piece of land on Market Street near McDonald's in Halfway Gardens claim Metro police used heavy-handed force to evict them on 25 February.
The vagrants were moved to that land a month ago by Metro police as a temporary solution to move them off private property on Church Street.
The vagrants claim Metro police burnt their shacks and “beat them up” on 25 February. However reports also emerged that the squatters set their own belongings alight in defiance.
The lawyer for the squatters Kgadima Kekana arrived at the scene at 4pm. Kekana said, “I was in court all day and my clients could not reach me. We will make an application to the court to stop Metro police from harassing the people.”
The squatters said they had nowhere to stay tonight [25 February].
Midrand Reporter will update with further details when they become available.
19 February, 8.30am:
The squatters that were ‘moved’ by Metro police on 21 January from a private property in Church Street are still staying next to a MacDonald’s restaurant.
Owner operator of MacDonald’s Midrand Peter Candiotes said it is hard to ignore the informal settlement on the property next to the fast food outlet. “The socio-political challenges presented by the informal settlement require urgent attention of all the relevant parties to resolve them. The safety and security of our customers and employees is our key focus.”
One of the squatters, who did not want to be named said, “We did not choose to stay next to MacDonald’s; we were moved by Metro police in January. The City of Joburg has let us down by not giving us a place to stay.”
According to a lawyer representing the displaced squatters, Kgadima Kekana, on 22 January the City of Joburg wrote a letter to his firm, promising to move the people to land in Meriting in Midrand. “They promised to transport the people, provide water and toilets for them but that did not happen.”
Kekana added, “The City of Joburg raised a dispute of fact in court, resulting in the case being transferred to a trial court at the Johannesburg High Court.”
Kekana said the next step in moving the squatters will take place after the outcome of the court case.
Ward 92 councillor Leepile Motsomi said, “The displaced squatters are still near the fast food restaurant but we all know it is the City of Joburg’s responsibility to find a place for them. I have done all I can to escalate the issue, at the moment nothing can be done until the court case is over.”
After numerous attempts, for three weeks, the city council did not respond to Midrand Reporter’s questions on this matter.
