Pretoria flat protesters disperse

2008-07-16 14:54

Pretoria - Hundreds of disgruntled Schubart and Kruger Park residents dispersed around noon on Wednesday after handing over a memorandum of grievances to a senior member of the Tshwane mayoral committee.

Residents demanded that allegations of a lack of service delivery and corruption be addressed by mayor Gwen Ramokgopa' within 14 days.

The memorandum was received by Subesh Pillay, Member of the Mayoral Committee for public works and infrastructure.

Ramokgopa paid a visit to the flats off Vermeulen street on Monday and told the residents they would need to be evacuated from their homes so that renovations could be done to the "unliveable" complex.

She said this could not, as the residents wanted, be done in a block by block manner as the complex was unsafe.

List of grievances

In their list of grievances, the residents demanded that the city investigate the activities of the "illegitimate" Housing Company Tshwane which managed the property.

The company must also be charged in terms of the Municipal Management Finance Act and be removed with immediate effect for acting irresponsibly and "permitting the building to deteriorate to such a state of disrepair".

It further demanded that all evictions should be stopped for non-payment of rentals in view of the company's "negligence and incompetence" which had resulted in the fire department condemning the building.

"It was illegally forcing and collecting rental from condemned buildings, knowingly," the memorandum stated.

The building must also be repaired and renovated to the satisfaction and compliance of the sectional title schemes act and once done, all registered tenants who had been living in the complex for more than five years must be given title deeds free of charge in terms of a benefit discount scheme or subsidy.

Units should also be sold to those living in the complex for less than five years at cost recovery and new tenants should be allowed to buy units at market related prices.

The residents also demanded that block removals or relocations should only be done to those who volunteered and that no resident could be forced.

'Lies'

Earlier a spokesperson for the residents, Ronnie Mahlangu, said the mayor had "lied" to the people, made "petty excuses" and not kept her promises.

"She betrayed our rights... we want our title deeds, that is our right."

Mahlangu said Ramokgopa had promised to receive the residents' memorandum but had not arrived to meet them at her offices.

"She's not around because she's ashamed to face you," he said to the sound of vuvuzelas and loud applause.

Mahlangu said residents agreed that renovations needed to take place but that this should be done block by block and alternative accommodation in the city should be provided for them.

Tshwane councillor Absalom Ditshoke said the flats were rental stock and that the people who lived there had to pay rent and did not have to option to buy or receive title deeds.

He said that the city was looking into alternative accommodation for the elderly and disabled.

- SAPA