[imagesource:flickr]
The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has been accused of illegally evicting about 100 squatters along Mosque and Broad Roads in Wynberg.
Although the eviction has been in the system for three years, four people were shot on the premises on Thursday evening, and on Friday someone was stabbed, likely finally prompting Prasa to move in and remove the squatters.
The move has been criticised by Ward councillor Carmen Siebritz who expressed anger over the eviction, which she labelled illegal.
“An illegal eviction agreed upon between Prasa and external stakeholders in the Wynberg area was carried out on Sunday. While I agree that every person has the right to worship in a clean and safe space, there are processes to follow. This is obviously not what most residents in Wynberg want to hear, but it’s reality.”
She said that after the closure of the Strandfontein Covid Campsite, homeless people were called on to indicate where they wanted to be relocated to. She says everyone indicated their preference, and the City obliged, adding that there were people dropped off in Wynberg.
“According to my knowledge, and as informed by City officials directly involved at the campsite, the persons were dropped off opposite the William Herbert Sports Complex on Rosmead Avenue, Wynberg.
“The fact that the homeless made their way and settled on the hill next to the Yusufeyyah Masjied was a result of their choice and not the City. Unfortunately, the homeless chose to settle on Prasa land, which adversely affected the Masjied for years.
The City’s social service said only two people agreed to be relocated into safe spaces.
According to IOL, Prasa had been advised to apply for an interdict while at the same time applying for the eviction order. This was never done.
“They are causing crime, they are using public areas as toilets because they have no access to the bathrooms.”
Duncan says “There’s been a massive rise in drug taking and crime. Prasa then went, without alerting the local ward councillor and anyone else, to evict people over the weekend. This came from the fact that on Friday night there were four people who were shot.”
Yusufeyyah Masjied secretary Yunus Karriem said there was a petition with 1300 signatures calling for the squatters to be removed.
“We are going to fight, because other people smash shops and they get places. We have been shifted from place to place, and on Sunday no one explained to us why they were evicting us. And this happened after gangsters came to attack us. There were no services on that site and people would urinate against the mosque, defecating too.”
The squatters, however, say they don’t want to move, and “would not stand for another unlawful eviction”.
[source:iol]
