Mooiplaas residents fed up with delays
More than 800 families staying in Mooiplaas were due to be relocated to Olievenhoutbosch extension 27 as far back as 2015.
About a thousand Mooiplaas residents are forced to live in shacks without any electricity or water – all because their RDP houses were “stolen” by people from a neighbouring settlement.
The human settlements department said it would evict the invaders but according to a local councillor, they do not have the budget to do so.
The RDP houses in question were finished in 2015 but before the rightful owners could move in, the houses were taken over by people from Olievenhoutbosch.
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Now about 1 500 residents in the area are refusing to vote in the upcoming elections in solidarity with the 841 families left homeless by the invasion.
“These families got written commitments from the Gauteng human settlements department they would be relocated,” said ward 48 councillor Kingsley Wakelin.
“They were given these houses, but could not move into them.”
The issue was brought to the attention of Gauteng premier David Makhura and human settlements MEC Uhuru Moiloa by an “apolitical” community team, which included Wakelin.
“For years we have asked the question: when will the families be relocated? Now other people have moved into their homes,” said Wakelin.
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Wakelin said last April, the department obtained an eviction order from the High Court in Pretoria to remove all the illegal occupants but residents were “the order could not be acted on because of ‘budgetary constraints’”.
He said in January, Mooiplaas residents closed off the R55 road in protest and Makhura made them “several promises to resolve the issue”.
“It is now already May – and nothing has been done.”
Wakelin said some residents have been occupying the houses for as long as 30 years.
“Premier Makhura promised to investigate this matter in January.”
Still the office of premier is adamant it would honour its commitment to get the bottom of issues faced by the people of Mooiplaas.
Spokesperson Castro Ngobese said the premier would provide residents feedback “either before or after the elections”.
“The premier assembled a team to investigate the matter,” said Ngobese adding the investigation was underway.
He said Makhura was not aware of residents’ plan to boycott the election.
“We would like to appeal to them to exercise their democratic right to vote.”
The Gauteng department of human settlements had yet to respond to requests for comment.
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