Evicted group spend night on pavement
About 20 people slept on the pavement with their belongings outside a derelict home in Escombe after they were evicted.
|||Durban - About 20 people slept on the pavement with their belongings outside a derelict home in Stella Road, Escombe, on Tuesday night after they were evicted.
Beds and furniture were strewn on the pavement under the trees. Most of the tenants had been at work when the eviction was carried out.
Lucinda Jingqi, who is six months pregnant, claimed she had been living in the house for 10 years. She and others said they paid R600 a month for a room. They did not know who the rent collector was, and did not have his contact details. They had not paid rent for a while, she said.
Jason Mkhize was in the room when about 15 men arrived.
“They told everyone to get out. They took everyone’s stuff and left it outside. They did not want to give us their details. My children attend Escombe Primary School. It will be hard to relocate to Hammarsdale during this time of year.”
The house was derelict and water and electricity had been cut off by the municipality when the squatters moved in.
Jesse Samuels of the Durban Christian Tabernacle, in Chatsworth, said he would pitch a tent in the park nearby to house the evicted tenants. He claimed the eviction order was unlawful.
“There are elderly women and babies who will sleep in the open. I am willing to provide a tent and toilet facilities but I was told by police that I would be arrested,” he said.
The writ of ejectment order obtained through the Durban High Court in March by Yusuf Cassim and Associates, stated that all persons be ejected.
A member of the Escombe Neighbourhood Watch breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the house had been cleared of illegal tenants. The member, who wanted to remain anonymous, blamed the squatters for petty crime and burglaries in the area.
“People come and go from the property. High noise levels and theft of electricity are the norm. The house was bringing this area down.”
Daily News