eMbalenhle community divided over accommodation

A fight erupted between the Ext 8 community and the tenants of Tsalanang Family Flats on January 26.
This is after the youth demanded to also be accommodated.

The squabble began on January 19 when these young people went to the flats and demanded that the tenants remove people who were allegedly sub-letting from other tenants and not paying their rent directly to the Govan Mbeki Municipality.

The fighting parties ended up at the eMbalenhle Police Station where police tried to mediate, but none of the parties wanted to back down.

Two cases of assault and kidnapping were opened against two Tsalanang flats committee members.

Dennis Mahlangu, a community leader of Ext 8, said they are tired of staying in backrooms while the municipality has flats where they can be accommodated.

Mahlangu said their intention is not to fight with the current tenants, but to be accommodated.

“This is not about the Ext 8 residents who need places to stay but the whole of eMbalenhle, specifically young people who need accommodation.

“We first tried to negotiate with the tenants, but we didn’t get answers. We then decided to search for vacant flats. We found flats that were either occupied by other people or used as storage rooms,” claimed Mahlangu.

“We hope the municipality will come up with a solution. We met the management but now we are worried because two of our members were kidnapped and assaulted.”

Muziwakhe Ntshalintshali, one of the committee members at Tsalanang, refuted the claims by Mahlangu. Nshalintshali said before the fight erupted, two men broke into flats and staged a sit-in.

When asked why they broke into people’s flats, these two allegedly said they were released from prison and needed accommodation.

“We told them that if they want to be accommodated they must go to the municipality. Then several days later, while we were having a community meeting, a group of people arrived uninvited and we were forced to adjourn the meeting.”

Ntshalintshali said the group again pitched up the following meeting and allegedly insulted the tenants.

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“That’s when the fight erupted,” said Ntshalintshali.

Ntshalintshali also said the matter is now with the municipality because the institution has a right to intervene.

However, the affected are also taking a legal route against the municipality.

“A council resolution was adopted during Thandi Ngxonono’s tenure as mayor that all those tenants who don’t qualify for a rental will be provided with the residential stands.

“There are some tenants who sub-let their flats to other people,” said Ntshalintshali.

Mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma told Ridge Times that the Tsalanang matter is being handled by the Department of Planning and it is engaging both parties. Zuma said they are waiting for feedback.

Constable Busi Mthethwa, the eMbalenhle police spokesperson, confirmed the assault and kidnapping cases. Mthethwa said no arrests have been made yet.