Over 200 Mpumalanga residents evicted by Seriti mine call on government and company for shelter, food, and urgent support after losing homes.
Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) has vowed to assist the Mpumalanga families that were evicted by Seriti mine recently.
More than 200 people from Kriel, near Middelburg, were left destitute after Seriti demolished about 60 houses belonging to the former Anglo American employees.
Some of the evicted, mostly pensioners and their families, interviewed by The Citizen said they have been staying in the houses for more than 30 years as their employer permitted them to do so.
Evicted families appeal for government and mine intervention
The trouble started in 2018 when Seriti bought the mine and has been trying every trick in a book to evict them.
Macua national coordinator Sabelo Mnguni said the organisation had received calls from the families seeking assistance to get their houses back or have the demolished homes rebuilt.
“Our legal team is going through the merits of the case, then we will know how we are going to fight this,” said Mnguni.
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“The eviction follows an order in 2022 made by the Mpumalanga High Court in Middleburg, which they tried to appeal.
“Based on preliminary information from affected residents, significant procedural, legal, and ethical irregularities appear to have accompanied the operation. These require urgent, independent investigation.”
Mnguni added the families said the narrative of unlawful occupation was inaccurate, as many were descendants or surviving family members of Anglo American (Kriel Colliery) employees who previously entered into housing arrangements with the group.
Unlawful occupation narrative inaccurate – families
“According to the information, the arrangements included homeownership, company-facilitated housing schemes, housing allowances and loan subsidies. Verbal and written commitments between the mine and employees were made regarding the ownership,” said Mnguni.
“The government and Seriti must provide immediate shelter, food support and trauma assistance to displaced families, consistent with constitutional obligations.
“Until the facts are fully tested, Macua regards the evictions and demolitions as unethical and unacceptable.”
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One of the affected residents and a community leader, Tiro Baabua, has appealed to civil society and other relevant stakeholders “to assist us to get back our houses.
Even though we lost the case last year, the court said that alternative accommodation should be provided by the mine and the municipality before the eviction could take place.
But that never happened, we were thrown out on the street.”
Demanding shelter, food and assistance to rebuild lives
Baabua said the residents have tried in vain to convince Seriti to allow them to buy or rent the houses since they wanted to demolish them.
Lina Sikhosana said she started working for Anglo American in 1978 and had been occupying the house since 1995.
“My employer said I must stay here with my family, but now they evicted me like a dog after working for the mine for 30 years.”
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