Urgent eviction notice puts elderly pensioner's home at risk

A bedridden pensioner and her family are facing eviction from their home of 35 years, despite having paid their rent in full and on time.

The proceedings have been initiated in the Western Cape High Court following the sale of the property by Communicare, a registered Social Housing Institution, to Purple Blok, which is not recognised in the same capacity.

Communicare has since revealed they have no ties to the property after it was sold to Purple Blok Projects (Pty) Ltd and did not initiate the eviction.

The family, comprising the elderly woman, her adult daughter, a matriculant preparing for final exams, and a nine- year-old child, has resided in their home under a formal social housing lease agreement for over three decades. 

Abdud Dayaan Keown of the Ruyterwacht Resident's Association raised alarm over the treatment of the family, particularly highlighting the heavy-handed approach taken during the enforcement process.

He said onlookers reported the presence of private security officers equipped with tactical gear generally reserved for high-risk crowd control situations.

Keown described the deployment of such “militarised gear” at the residence of a bedridden elderly woman and children as intimidating and entirely disproportionate to the circumstances at hand.

“A representative for Purple Block Properties was assertive during the enforcement process and repeatedly stated that the family “must be thrown out,” expressing frustration that the Sheriff of the Court was “taking too long.” Individuals present state that the Sheriff was pressed to proceed more quickly with enforcement steps," he claimed.

Keown explained that the pensioner is fully reliant on her daughter's care, raising questions about the humanitarian implications of forcing this vulnerable household into destitution.

“Removing this family under such circumstances will be devastating,” Keown said. .

Keown further emphasised that courts should consider factors such as vulnerability, duration of residence, and the best interests of minor children in eviction cases.

He said this eviction matter unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing court processes and a forensic audit examining the sale and alienation of certain social housing properties.

In a response to these serious allegations, Communicare asserted they were not the current owners of the evicted property nor involved in the eviction itself.

In response to the allegations Communicare verified that they were not the owners: "Communicare is not the owner of the property and was not involved in this eviction," it said.

 "In March 2021, Communicare announced that it would proceed with the sale of our remaining properties in Ruyterwacht.

"Tenants and their families were given first preference to purchase and were offered concessionary pricing. Sales to third parties only followed after this process had been exhausted."

When Cape Argus attempted reaching Purple Blok Projects (Pty) Ltd, information provided publicly revealed there was no direct public facing is no general customer support contact details (phone or email) are publicly available in the search results for this specific entity.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus