'Bring me my flat'
2008-07-16 14:01
Pretoria - Hundreds of disgruntled Schubart and Kruger Park residents on Wednesday refused to leave the Tshwane mayor Gwen Ramokgopa's offices until she arrived in person to receive their memorandum of grievances.
Leader of the Schubart Park residents Ronnie Mahlangu said the mayor had "lied" to them and had made "petty excuses".
"It's not just because she's not around. She's not around because she's ashamed to face you," he said to vuvuzelas and loud applause from the residents.
Mahlangu said they were unhappy that they would be removed from their flats in order for renovations to take place ? and that they were not being provided with alternative accommodation.
He said they also wanted title deeds to their flats and no longer wanted to pay rent.
Title deeds 'our right'
"We want our title deeds, that is our right," he said adding that they were willing to approach a court of law to achieve this.
Tshwane councillor Absalom Ditshoke said the flats were rental stock and that the people who lived there had to pay. He said the city was looking into providing alternative accommodation for the elderly and disabled.
However some of the residents did not have a contract with the city.
"Others are illegal in that place, they don't have a contract with the city, we don't have to give them accommodation," he said.
Ditshoke said he met with the residents towards the end of last year to "sensitise" them to the upcoming renovations.
The group, who refused to hand over the memorandum to MMC for public works and infrastructure Subesh Pillay, toyi-toyed to a version of ANC president Jacob Zuma's song awulethu' mshini wami, but changed the words from "bring me my machine gun" to "bring me my flat".
- SAPA