R101 squatters tell Tshwane they are there for ‘better economic opportunities’

A group of at least 50 homeless people living alongside the R101 Old Johannesburg Road in Centurion are not interested in relocating to a shelter.

This is according to the Tshwane metro, following their visit to the area in November.

Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo explained that a social worker from the Community and Social Development Services had visited the area to assess the situation on November 22 after reports from a local company.

“The assessment indicated 55 homeless people in the area.”

He said the social worker interviewed the group on the possibility of their relocation to a shelter.

“They indicated that they were not interested because the area they are currently occupying presents them with economic opportunities.”

Residents in the area have throughout the years become increasingly alarmed by the growing number of people that have made the pavement their home.

The residents have linked the growth to a surge in crime and other illegal activity in the area.

Charmaine Gray, a concerned Rooihuiskraal North resident, previously told Rekord that there has been a daily increase in the number of squatters.

“They often create fires along the wall, which pose a serious risk to nearby homes,” Gray said.

“We’ve had squatters jump over the wall [fence] to steal, leading to residents being harmed in the process.

In the past, we’ve had residents whose houses have been broken into.”

Gray’s concerns extend beyond crime. She also fears for the health of children living in this area.

“I feel bad for the children that live at the site who are subjected to living under such harsh and unhealthy living conditions.

Sewage flows everywhere, and these people don’t even have toilet facilities or a place to bathe,” she said.

Another resident, Christell Whitear, said she recently started a green space opposite the location.

“Cleaning the area has been a battle because there is always litter around.

I am usually around the area when operations are conducted at the site and would often hear officers beg the squatters to leave the area.”

Whitear said there was a public meeting in the area about four months ago with all the relevant key role players, including the city manager.

She said the officials told the residents that they were creating space to move the squatters to.

Wierdabrug Sector 3 CPF chairperson Hentie van Staden said extra patrols have been arranged to monitor the situation.

“The number of vagrants living at the site changes frequently,” he said, estimating that there are more than 30 currently.

“There are 16 that live at one particular spot, and then when you go down the Old Johannesburg Road from the lifestyle centre all the way to the end of the police station, there are probably 30 to 40 people that live there.”

Van Staden said they haven’t been able to link crimes to any specific person in the area.

He said there have, however, been complaints of wall jumpers and drug usage in the area.

“It’s an area where drugs are used a lot, but we haven’t been able to confirm drug distribution from this area yet, though we have had multiple complaints from residents.”

Van Staden said the CPF patrols the area every day.

“We have a spot in Wierdapark that has been taken over completely by vagrants, and they all sleep near the shops at the Wierdapark centre at night.”

He said the vagrants at the centre have not been linked to crime or drugs, but there’s widespread use of drugs in Kudupark, and those vagrants are removed from time to time to keep the area clean.

Ward 69 councillor Cindy Billson said after years of complaints to local authorities, little has been done to address the escalating problem.

Billson said despite reaching out to various departments to have the matter addressed, her efforts yielded minimal results.

“Residents in this area have also raised serious concerns about their property rights and overall well-being.

At this point, some residents even believe that I am not trying hard enough to get the issue resolved,” she said.

In October last year, Billson told Rekord that residents had signed a petition and approached the Gauteng government for help.

The petition made it clear that the “current situation is posing a health risk to the community” and the “safety of community members is being threatened as clearly evident from rising crime in the area”.

At the time, Sean O’Brien, a resident in Rooihuiskraal North, said he had signed the petition because he was concerned the authorities did not have a grip on the problem.

“We have, for the past five years, endeavoured to get this issue resolved, to no avail. Except for it being an eyesore in the neighbourhood, we believe that the occupants contribute to the rising crime levels in our area,” said O’Brien.

“If memory serves me right, it has been an ongoing issue dating back eight years or thereabouts,” he said.

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