After months of getting used to his harsh living conditions, a resident of Barolong View in Ext. 11 in Ikageng, who asked to remain anonymous, says his biggest nightmare has come true.
“We were recently served with an eviction letter. It doesn’t say much, except that we must leave the premises within 14 days,” the resident said in fear.
Residents have contested the order and are still awaiting a response.
“I’m worried because I don’t have anywhere else to go. Although we are living here illegally, we need basic services. All we ask is for the municipality to let us know how much we need to pay for stands and basic services,” he said.
The resident added that they don’t have electricity in the area.
“It’s a struggle because we must travel to areas where there is electricity and ask someone to charge our phones,” the resident lamented.
“We can’t even buy a lot of groceries at a time because everything will get spoilt. It takes a lot of getting used to.”
After a year of creating a life for him and his family, he always had a feeling that their peace would be disrupted, but he never expected it to happen so soon. The resident hopes the final decision won’t be for them to move but that the community will soon be recognised and they will be able to live there in peace.
The Herald asked the municipality for comment but had not received any by the time of going to print.