‘We didn’t start the fire’
Tenants of Ga Rena Rental Village in Ladanna launched violent protests on Thursday after the municipality informed those who did not qualify to live in the flats they would be evicted.
POLOKWANE – Tenants of Ga Rena Rental Village in Ladanna launched violent protests on Thursday after the municipality informed those who did not qualify to live in the flats they would be evicted.
Ga Rena was officially opened in 2006 after the Polokwane Municipality addressed the need for affordable housing for middle income groups – households that earned between R3 500 and R8 000 per month. The development is situated in Spoorweg Street, has been shrouded in controversy since the first tenants moved in.
In 2012, the then MEC for housing, Clifford Motsepe had to intervene after evicted tenants approached the public protector, Thuli Madonsela. At the time, tenants owed the municipality more than R9 million. Madonsela said those who were staying at Ga Rena and couldn’t afford rent, should approach government for their names to be put on a list of RDP house applications.
Last week, mayor Thembi Nkadimeng addressed angry residents saying they “made misuse of the rental village”.
“From the onset it was made clear that the facility was built for those earning between R3 500 and R8 000 per month which is too much to qualify for an RDP house and too little to qualify for a bond.”
Most current occupants do not qualify to stay at Ga Rena, she said, “they earn much more and do not pay for services or rent”.
“Tenants who do not qualify to live here, must move to make space for residents who really need to be placed in Ga Rena.”
Nkadimeng said the municipality would work with the department of cooperative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs (Coghsta) to evict residents who did not qualify to live at the units and replace them with tenants who “really needed its services”.
Municipal spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene confirmed that the rental village has been a thorn in the municipality’s side for at least since 2012.
On August 14 2012, the then mayor, Freddy Greaver, spoke to tenants about the fact that they did not pay rent or service levies.
Earlier in the same year, the municipality said that the village’s rental income had declined by 13% year on year in the first seven months of the year. At the time, no increase in rent was proposed for the next financial year.
Chuene said the tenants were still not paying rent or levies and the problem has escalated over the years.
On Thursday, Ga Rena tenants protested on the corner of Witklip and Spoorweg Street in Ladanna.
They said they were unhappy about the proposed evictions and the alleged poor service they received from the municipality. They complained about leaking pipes and taps and the poor condition of the buildings.
Many asked why they should be evicted and receive the poor services if the municipality admitted the problem of non-payment has been an ongoing one.
Westenburg police spokesperson, Capt Mohlaka Mashiane, said the protesters started to gather on the corner at around 03:00 in the morning. Mashiane said they started to protest in all earnest at around 05:00.
“They burned tyres in the street and disrupted traffic. The police were forced to disperse the protesters by using rubber bullets, because the protest became violent and protesters even attacked police officials
“We monitored the situation for the rest of the day, until the mayor addresses the protesters at around 15:00 and they dispersed. No other incidents of violence in this respect were recorded,” he said.
Chuene confirmed municipal property was damaged during the protest.
Polokwane Housing Association, who manages Ga Rena Rental Village, could not comment at the time of going to print.
