City of Tshwane plans to move hundreds of illegal occupants from Melgisedek building to Capital Park community centre grounds.
The City of Tshwane wants to relocate hundreds of illegal occupants of the Melgisedek building to tents in Gezina and Capital Park. Picture: Michel Bega
Residents are objecting to the City of Tshwane’s plan to shift hundreds of illegal occupants from the Melgisedek building into Gezina and Capital Park.
The Melgisedek building is a city-owned, abandoned property in Pretoria that became a site of illegal occupation, severe overcrowding and partial demolition.
Tshwane plans to move hundreds of illegal occupants
The city is now being threatened with legal action after its second attempt to relocate the illegal occupants from the building to the Capital Park community centre grounds.
Initially, the occupants were moved to vacant land on the corner of Nico Smith Street and Johan Heyns Drive, but this was stopped after the DA and AfriForum sought relief in the high court.
Concerned Capital Park resident Mercia Pretorius is worried about the proposed relocation because the building’s illegal occupants, some of whom allegedly have drug problems, were placed close to a primary school.
Capital Park Residents and Ratepayers Association (Caprra) is aware of the concerns regarding the proposed relocation of Melgisedek residents to the Capital Park community centre grounds.
Pretorius said: “We went to bed one night and saw the tents erected in the field the next day.
Residents say tents were erected overnight
“Urgent legal steps are being pursued and a security and stakeholder meeting [has been planned].
“We wish to place on record that Caprra was not consulted, did not consent to and has not approved the use of the community centre for this purpose.”
Caprra representatives, community stakeholders and Wonderboom Saps intervened after tents were delivered to the community centre on Monday.
Freedom Front Plus mayoral candidate Willie Spies said they will assist the communities of Gezina and Capital Park to keep their neighbourhoods from turning into crime-infested areas, following the relocation of the illegal occupants.
The city had announced it would relocate the illegal occupants of the Melgisedek building to a temporary tent town in Capital Park, after the Supreme Court of Appeal last week rejected a second application by Lawyers for Human Rights to stop the relocation.
Tented camps lack water and sanitation
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the Supreme Court of Appeal’s judgment paves the way for the eviction of the occupants of the Melgisedek building.
“We are not opposed to the eviction, but the tented camp in Gezina is not suitable accommodation. The case we made to the court was that the tented camp would simply become another informal settlement without basic water and sanitation amenities,” he said.
“Our concern remains that very little thought or planning has gone into the execution of the eviction, particularly regarding where the illegal occupants will be moved.”
AfriForum spokesperson Llewellynn Hemmens said AfriForum objected to the city disregarding the rights and safety of residents.
