90 families face eviction

STATE HOUSING: WATER DEPT WANTS HOMES IN NORTH WEST BACK

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

At least 90 households living in state houses and hostels in Hartbeespoort and Brits in Madibeng municipality are facing imminent eviction from properties they took over from their parents.

The department of water and sanitation, which owns the dwellings, last month issued eviction notices saying they were occupying the state-owned houses illegally.

The properties were used by department officials or staff who worked at Hartbeespoort Dam's water and sewage treatment works and canals.

The families occupying housing compounds owned by the department are resisting the eviction. They are mostly the elderly, children and grandchildren of deceased and living former department workers.

They claimed they owned the properties, having inherited them from their late relatives.

They have sought assistance from civic organisations in a battle to remain in their homes and demanded that the department reverse its decision to evict them.

On 22 January, two department officials gave them "unlawful" notices of eviction.

The officials gave the first notice to Frankie Mogapi and later issued the same notices to 38 others, requiring all of them to vacate the houses by 28 February.