A clash between factions over a housing project has stoked tensions in Walmer township, with claims of sabotage and intimidation adding fuel to the fire.
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is heading to court in Gqeberha on Friday to seek an urgent interdict compelling Airport Valley residents who are refusing to relocate to dismantle their shacks and vacate them.
However, the defiant group has refused to back down, turning to Legal Aid SA in the hope that the courts will serve as the final defence against eviction.
The clash stems from a contested housing beneficiary list — some people are set to receive houses while others are not.
All the residents live in Airport Valley.
Some are set to be relocated to a municipal serviced site, 1948, about 5km away.
A total of 600 units have been built at the new site off Victoria Drive, past the Walmer township cemetery.
The units are connected to running water and electricity.
Others are expected to be moved to a site with no services, called Solomon, across the road from the developed site.
However, this has led to a stalemate, with one group refusing to budge.
They have made damning allegations against the Umzi WaseGqeberha Housing Development Association, contracted to build 500 RDP units where they now live.
The association has been accused of using intimidation tactics in the long-standing fight to force residents to relocate, including late-night visits to women-led households and dumping sand on doorsteps.
Tensions between the resident groups and association risk derailing the 500-unit development, in the making since 2014.
Bay human settlements political head Thembinkosi Mafana said the Eastern Cape human settlements department appointed the association, while the municipality’s role was to install bulk services.
“If there are allegations of intimidation, then the complainants must send proof and go to the police.
“We have grant funding to be spent. It could be taken in December as we have not spent a cent.
“We’ve identified an alternative site and want to develop [Airport Valley] and build houses.
“The legal owners have agreed to move to the temporary site. The ones who don’t want to relocate are invaders of the land.”
Mafana said the municipality had approached the court to force residents who refused to move to relocate, especially those who had built shacks on top of a sewerage pipe.
Several residents were interviewed and all declined to be named for fear of victimisation.
One reported a case of intimidation to the police.
One resident alleged that a man from the association targeted single or women-headed households.
Recounting an incident, the woman said a contractor arrived at her house after 9pm to ask when she would demolish her shack and relocate.
“This person also came to my place late at night to ask when I would leave.
“I told him to wait until my husband arrived from work.
“He was shocked that I had a husband and quickly walked out.”
A second resident said should they relocate to Solomon, they would need to move again in two years because it was a temporary site.
“The only thing we want if moving is a permanent site where we know if we built that RDP houses will also be built.
“Those who have been told to move are the ones who are said not to have green cards, so we want to be given assurances they will put us in the database.
“We are not holding back development. We want to benefit.”
A green card proves someone is a qualifying RDP house beneficiary.
On Wednesday, sections of Airport Valley were left without electricity and water when the supply was cut off.
Residents believe this is another tactic to force them to move.
Some say they have lived in the settlement for 20 years and applied for RDP housing but their names never appeared on the beneficiary list.
A third woman said she received a call from an unidentified person from the association.
“I was told my shack needed to be moved because it was right where work needed to be done.
“I told the person I would be home late.
“They said not to worry and that I would find them at my shack.
“When I came home, indeed they were waiting for me.
“I told them I was not moving and his response was to comply while they were still nice.
“The next thing I knew, there was a pile of sand in front of my door, blocking it.”
A fourth resident blasted the municipality’s inaction in not addressing them on the impasse.
“There is an entity saying they have authority from the municipality to build houses in Airport Valley.
“That entity should not have direct access to residents refusing to leave but it should be the municipality.
“That entity is forcefully removing residents, which is abnormal.
“The challenge we face is that the sanitation services we receive are of poor standard, but if we are moved, it will be even worse.
“There is no sanitation, no water, no lights, just an area we are being dumped at.”
A fifth resident said they tried to get Ward 4 councillor Nozuko Mbambo to address them.
“It is also confusing for the councillor to call us land invaders when the municipality collects and services the bucket system.
“We have electricity installed by the municipality and our refuse is collected.
“How can we be referred to as illegal dwellers?
“We have lived here for 20 years.”
On Monday, some residents visited Legal Aid SA, seeking assistance against the municipality’s court application.
On Tuesday, Umzi WaseGqeberha chair Wandile Gxekwa said two factions were involved in Airport Valley, one on the beneficiary list and the other not.
“I went to address the one group of unhappy residents to ask their grievances, and they were hesitant to speak.
“I told them that work cannot stop because we are on the verge of losing funding for the top structures and the human settlements executive director informed me that the city is at risk of losing these funds.
“I explained everything and they seemed receptive and told me I had given a good explanation.
“I was then informed about the allegations of intimidation towards women and elderly people.
“I told them this is new to me and called a meeting with my members and confronted them.”
He said there were two relocation sites, one for beneficiaries and one for non-beneficiaries, with most residents refusing to move to the latter.
“The qualifying beneficiaries are now leading the charge to have the other group moved because they feel the project is being stalled by those refusing to relocate.
“During the meeting with residents, they came forward with allegations of threats to their lives.
“I said to them not to say such things because Walmer township has a murder problem and that is the reality.”
Gxekwa alleged that those who refused to move and were not beneficiaries, did not qualify for RDP houses because some people earned more than what a beneficiary needed to earn to qualify, and others already had homes elsewhere.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said a case of intimidation had been opened at the Walmer police station on November 20.
“The case is under investigation.”
HeraldLIVE
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