Pretoria - Residents of the Heatherdale informal settlement in Akasia are worried that the City of Tshwane’s relocation plan may leave many immigrants displaced.
Work to relocate illegal land occupiers has already started following an eviction order obtained by the landowner, Housing Hub, according to the City.
In terms of the plan, only people with South African citizenship would be moved to municipal land in Orchards.
Lesotho national Dineo Malefane, who came to South Africa in 2017 in search of a job, said foreigners did not have a say in the relocation.
“We are not happy to be moved from here. But there is nothing we can do because we are not from here. We were told that those who will be allocated stands are people who have IDs,” she told the Pretoria News yesterday.
Malefane said a lot of foreigners, who included Somalis and Pakistanis, had already moved out of the place some weeks ago because they were scared of being left homeless.
Mozambican Moses Ngobeni, who is a tenant in a shack owned by a South African, said he hoped he would be accommodated at the new place.
“I am waiting for my turn to be moved and I will continue to rent a shack where we are going,” he said.
Yesterday, some shacks were being demolished ahead of the December 15 deadline for the resettlement.
Some residents were, however, doubtful that the City would meet the deadline given the slow pace of demolition and rebuilding at the new location.
City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the illegal land occupants had been living there since 2014, and provided with communal standpipes, waste management services and rudimentary sanitation through chemical toilets.
Acting head of Tshwane Human Settlements, Sello Chipu, recently caused panic among residents during a community meeting at which he reportedly told them that immigrants would not be part of the relocation.
Mashigo said: “As per a signed settlement agreement between the City, the illegal occupants and the land owner which was made the Order of the Court, the residents of Heatherdale as per the enquiry below will be relocated to proposed Orchards 110.”
All in all, there would be 210 beneficiaries to be relocated.
Regarding concerns about the immigrants, Mashigo said: “The National Department of Home Affairs will attend to foreign nationals at the settlement in line with applicable legislation.”
Pretoria News