One resident has raised serious concerns about waste, noise, sanitation and fire safety as more people settle on open land near Hendrik Potgieter and Jim Fouché roads.

Leonie Labuschagne has raised concerns about rubbish, noise, alleged fighting, sanitation and the risk of fires linked to people living on the site. The issue is not limited to the site, with Ward 89 councillor Zander Shawe saying complaints about people living on open land have been received at at least six locations in the ward in recent months.

Concerns grow over open site

Labuschagne said the situation changed considerably since she first became aware of people staying there.

“We were giving them leftover food and stuff like lamps and things,” she said, recalling when the site initially had one tent occupied by a man and a woman.

She said the number of people and makeshift structures later increased, with tents, boxes, plastic and rubbish appearing on the land. “It’s horrible,” she said.

Labuschagne added that she had repeatedly raised her concerns with the councillor, community groups, emergency services and the municipality. She said she had heard the people at the site fighting and screaming, with the noise becoming particularly difficult while her husband was terminally ill.

When asked about this, Cindy van Wyk, one of the homeless people at the site, denied the accusations and said they are helping keep the area safe by looking out for the residents.

She also raised concerns about rats, flies, access to water and toilets, and fires being made on the site.

“If anything sets fire, I can lose my house,” she said.

Labuschagne said she had offered people alternatives, including shelters and places where they could stay.

“I mean, no person should be living in those kinds of conditions,” she said.

JMPD responds to land complaints

Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla confirmed that the department was aware of people living on the veld and said the area was monitored as part of routine municipal policing.

He said complaints relating to displacement, land invasion, illegal dumping and public indecency had been received. According to Fihla, officers inspected the Hendrik Potgieter Road and Albert Street area on September 7, and engaged an occupant who said he had been living there since 2023 without alternative shelter.

Officers issued an administrative notice and returned on September 9. Fihla said a Social Development official attended and offered shelter to an occupant, but the offer was declined.

He said the removal of belongings could not be completed because of the volume of waste and the presence of two dogs and four chickens requiring humane handling.

“Homelessness/ displacement itself is not a criminal offence under South African law,” Fihla said.

“JMPD cannot arrest displaced individuals or forcibly relocate them to shelter against their will unless a specific criminal offence occurs.”

Safety and property values in Ward 89

Shawe said complaints about people living on open land had been received at several locations since he became councillor in August 2024. He said residents’ main concerns were safety and what they perceived as declining property values.

Shawe said he had requested operations involving (Crum), JMPD and Social Development to see how these people can be helped and removed from the sites.

Crum acts as the central bridge between City of Johannesburg residents and various municipal entities to co-ordinate regional service delivery and ensure urban governance

A separate report dated September 9 concerned Jim Fouché Road and Wilhelmina Street in Constantia Kloof. It recorded a complaint of land invasion and illegal dumping and stated that people were moved from the location and their blankets were taken. The report did not state where they went afterwards.

Occupants share their experiences

Among those staying on the open land are Van Wyk and Brendon Morton. Morton said he had been living on the streets for about six months or longer and had spent six years in prison.

“All the choices which you made, bad choices in life you made … that’s why I’m sitting where you’re sitting today,” he said.

He said he had changed his life and wanted to return to his family, although some family members did not want him there. Morton said he and others had previously stayed in Westbury and Clodagh and under a bridge near Constantia Office Park.

He also disputed the perception that those living on the site were responsible for all the rubbish.

“As you can see, we are trying to clean up a little bit,” he said, adding that some waste had been dumped there before they arrived.

Van Wyk, a mother of three and grandmother of two, described the people around her as a family.

“This is my family,” she said. Morton said people living on the streets were often judged because of where they slept. “People think we are bad people. We are not,” he said.

He claimed some people staying on the site had tried to prevent criminal activity in the area, including chasing people they believed were attempting to steal copper. These claims could not independently be verified.

Morton said he did not want simply to be moved to a mission or shelter. “I would love to be in a house,” he said, adding that he would be willing to work and have somewhere to stay.

Municipal departments fail to reply

The Roodepoort Northsider sent media enquiries to the City of Johannesburg’s Social Development department and Pikitup on September 8 at 13:00, with a deadline of September 11 at 09:00.

Social Development was asked about its attendance at the site, assistance offered, whether shelter had been offered or declined, and planned follow-up.

Pikitup was asked about the accumulated waste, any inspection, required cleanup and plans to prevent further dumping. Follow-up emails were sent on September 28, and no responses had been received from the organisations by the time of publication.

An email was subsequently sent to the SPCA asking about the two dogs and four chickens after the JMPD site visit, whether they had been assessed and what would happen to them if the site was cleared. The Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA general manager, Mandy Cattanach, told the Northsider that they are not aware of this situation.