An Eyewitness Report from Plot 49, Motala Heights, Pinetown, Durban : IMC-SA

Today, Wednesday 13.12, the municipality came inside Motala Heights with the intention to demolish yet more shacks and with no respect to what has been agreed in court, to our lawyer or to the people of Motala Heights. They never reported that they would come neither to us, the court or our lawyers. But today they understood they they cannot simply ignore us, that they have to respect the will of the people of Motala Heights.

The Municipality's plan was to demolish five shacks while most of their tenants were away at work. They started with shack number B83, leaving Thathazile Mkize, Sbu Mhlongo, Sibongine Danisa, Bheki Mkize, Zama Nzuza and Bafana Gummede homeless. Shortly after we reminded the municipality workers of Section 26 of the South African Constitution, specifically that they cannot demolish a house without the consent of everyone living in it (not just the consent of the owners but the tenants too). Since they didn't have that consent they would need a court order for every one of the planned demolitions. After they made clear that they did not have that either, we immediately asked for police reinforcements to come from Pinetown and once they arrived, we explained that the municipality workers were breaking the Law and demanded they were arrested should they continue. Only a few minutes ago, the municipality workers were leaving Motala Heights.

Last time that they visited Motala it was a completely different story. Committee members Bonginkosi Mazibuko and Nkosi Ngcobo had demanded R2,000 from each of us in order to provide us with a house in Nazareth. Those who didn't have that money were told they would not be given a house. One house might have 8, 9 or even 12 tenants but only its legal owner is offered a house in Nazareth. All the rest are made homeless once the shack owner is relocated. We estimate that to date, over fifty people have been made homeless in our area.

Most people in Motala Heights are either unemployed or work as domestic workers (the women) or temporary gardeners (the men). Domestic workers earn 15 rand per day on average, while gardeners will get 25 rand for a day's work. While they can now simply walk to their jobs, relocating to Nazareth would mean they would have to spend 16 rand per day on taxis (two each way)! So it's clear that people simply cannot afford to move. Children now walk to their school; the Motala Heights clinic is nearby and factories in the area that are in need of temporary workers will just drive to Motala and pick up some people, offering them a job for the day. All of this would be lost should we be relocated to Nazareth.

The way the Government and the Municipality treat us makes us feel like non-citizens, as if we do not belong to South Africa. The eThekwini municipality is constantly ignoring the South African constitution: it is as if they are operating under some constitution of their own!

We have been told that new houses will be built in Motala Heights by 2007. But who will they build them for, if we are all relocated before then? Going to Nazareth would mean we would be worse off than today.

They have to understand that if they choose to tear down our houses, we shall sleep in the bushes. And if they want to relocate us they'd better find some big cells to put us in, because we are not moving, we are not going to Nazareth!

Demolishing shack B83 without the prior consent of all its residents.

The result?
by Two residents and one visitor of Motala Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006 at 8:17 AM

All of the tenants' valuables are left exposed,

Meantime the police...
by Two residents and one visitor of Motala Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006 at 8:17 AM

...stand a few meters away, doing nothing to prevent the demolition.

Shortly after
by Two residents and one visitor of Motala Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006 at 8:17 AM

Pinetown police arrive and are told that they should arrest municipality workers should the continue, as they are breaking the law.