A community who call themselves the “Strandfontein Aboriginal Khoisan” and who have been occupying a large piece of land known as “The White House” for three years, say they are being victimised by City Law Enforcement officials.
But the City of Cape Town said officers have been deployed to the site along Spine Road daily to ensure that no further invasions take place in line with an interim court order approved in 2022.
The mense claim their homes are being vandalised and demolished and children and adults threatened and even getting pepper sprayed.
They say they have no basic services such as water and electricity and make use of broken toilets which they have fixed up.
The City says the claims are untrue: “Officers are present in the vicinity to uphold the interdict.
“The City’s operations at the property are fully in line with the law and the interim order. Allegations to the contrary are false.”
According to the interim court order, it is alleged that Johannes van Rooyen had instigated the land invasion.
In a counter application, the court has set aside the interim order as meetings are ongoing.
Georgia Hughes, speaking on behalf of the land invaders, said they were tired of being victimised and want basic services.
She says: “There is this one law enforcement officer who comes here and makes threats and one day he cocked his gun at residents and his colleague had to stop him.
“Just over a week ago, they wanted to demolish and break down my daughter’s room and when they saw it was where they were sleeping, they stopped.
“The interim order has been set aside, so why are they continuing to victimise us?
“We are not criminals, we have leadership, we don’t allow crime, our children attend school.
“Men and women have their own toilets. We have jobs but we just can’t afford high rent anymore.”
Another resident, Valerie Klaasen said they lacked basic services.
She says: “We have no running water, we had to connect a tap from a main service and when we wanted to create a pit for a toilet that was also stopped.
“We have approached the ward councillor for basic services but we are told nothing can be done.”
The community is home to more than 13 households.
Lesley van der Schyff said many of them were backyard dwellers who have been on the City’s housing waiting list for years.
Ward councillor Elton Jansen said he and the Strandfontein Ratepayers Association had visited the site in September to speak to the land invaders.
He explains: “Law Enforcement visibility stems from complaints from the community about structures going up in the middle of the night.
“Law Enforcement is there to prevent further unlawful invasion.”
A resident who wanted to remain anonymous says they are scared that the site will turn into a sprawling informal settlement, such as nearby Sewende Laan, “where criminals were hiding out”.
Sandy Schuter Flowers, the chairperson of the Strandfontein Community Policing Forum, said they’ve received complaints from the community.
She says: “In September, we called a meeting with Councillor Jansen, the anti-land invasion unit, Community Policing Forum and the rate payers association.”
Mario Oostendurp from the Strandfontein Ratepayers Association said they were informed about a housing meeting taking place last night at Strandfontein High School where he hoped these issues would be raised.
genevieve.heunis@inl.co.za