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WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson

WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson

The Citizena day ago
WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson
Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has condemned the arson attack on the Department of Home Affairs building in Germiston, describing it as 'barbaric.'
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning during protests over court-ordered evictions at Pharoe Park.
ALSO READ: Pharoe Park evictions proceed as city follows up on Germiston Home Affairs fire (video)
Xhakaza said the city will not back down on enforcing evictions.
Watch as he explains:
@bedfordview.edenv
Mayor Xhakaza has strongly condemned the recent vandalism at Germiston Home Affairs, describing the act as barbaric and unacceptable. The mayor called for urgent action to protect public property and uphold community safety. #GemistonCityNews #HomeAffairsGermistononfire
♬ original sound – Bedfordview Edenvale News
'We are available for conversations with communities, but I can tell you, they know what to do,' he stated.
ALSO READ: Watch: Chaos in Germiston as Home Affairs building set alight
The blaze severely damaged the building's second floor, although secured documents on the ground floor were unaffected.
The Department of Home Affairs will continue services through mobile units stationed at Alberton and Boksburg from Wednesday.
ALSO READ: Video: Mobile Home Affairs service steps in after protest and blaze in CBD
Two people have been arrested for public violence related to the protests.
The City of Ekurhuleni has launched a formal investigation into the suspected arson and has pledged to hold those responsible to account.
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‘We can't surrender to criminals': Ekurhuleni mayor Xhakaza on evictions, home affairs arson attack
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Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has vowed the metro will not 'surrender the whole city to criminals' amid violent unrest, arson and court-ordered evictions in Germiston. Speaking to the media on Tuesday at Pharoe Park, a low-cost rental complex owned by the Ekurhuleni Housing Company, Xhakaza reaffirmed the city's determination to reclaim the area as part of its urban renewal programme. 'It's about time leaders are firm, because running up and down and allowing these things to happen is what contributes to lawlessness. They wrongly occupy the housing and start doing wrong things. There's a combination of factors: lawlessness, no tough stance and noncompliance. Eventually the entire building gets into the wrong hands,' said Xhakaza. The city said tenants at the complex failed to pay rent, prompting legal action and removals enforced by Ekurhuleni metro police. The city accused 'building hijackers' of illegally collecting more than R1.5m a month in rent from city-owned units.

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EKURHULENI - Police fired rubber bullets at residents who tried to block the eviction of scores of houses in Germiston on Tuesday by throwing stones and torching a municipal building, officials said. After police gained access to the housing complex in Ekurhuleni, a squad of men moved in and hauled furniture and personal belongings out of the homes. Shocked residents accused the government of failing them amid South Africa's housing crisis, saying they believed the homes were part of a scheme to provide houses for black South Africans disadvantaged by the previous racist apartheid system. Two people were arrested for setting alight the nearby offices of the municipal home affairs department, police said, adding they were acting on a June court order to evict people from the complex, which was reportedly home to 450 families. "Unfortunately, the people got wind of the eviction and closed the road. Innocent people and the police were thrown with stones and we had to retaliate to ensure that we dispersed them," Major General Fred Kekana, the deputy provincial police commissioner, told AFP. "Somebody allegedly threw a petrol bomb at the Department of Home Affairs. Two arrests have been made so far," he said. Some residents insisted they had not been issued an eviction order and had been paying rent for years. "Our government is failing us. They are chasing us yet we have titles for these houses," 37-year-old resident Akhona Mbadi, a mother of four children, told AFP. After taking power following the end of white minority rule in 1994, the African National Congress-led government adopted a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to provide subsidised housing and other services to black South Africans disadvantaged by apartheid. By 2017 nearly 14 percent of South African households lived in RDP or government-subsidised homes, according to government figures. However, homelessness has risen dramatically from 13,000 in 1996 to more than 55,700 in 2022, according to government statistics.

WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson
WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson

The Citizen

timea day ago

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WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson

WATCH: Ekurhuleni mayor vows to press ahead with evictions after Germiston Home Affairs arson Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has condemned the arson attack on the Department of Home Affairs building in Germiston, describing it as 'barbaric.' The incident occurred on Tuesday morning during protests over court-ordered evictions at Pharoe Park. ALSO READ: Pharoe Park evictions proceed as city follows up on Germiston Home Affairs fire (video) Xhakaza said the city will not back down on enforcing evictions. Watch as he explains: @ Mayor Xhakaza has strongly condemned the recent vandalism at Germiston Home Affairs, describing the act as barbaric and unacceptable. The mayor called for urgent action to protect public property and uphold community safety. #GemistonCityNews #HomeAffairsGermistononfire ♬ original sound – Bedfordview Edenvale News 'We are available for conversations with communities, but I can tell you, they know what to do,' he stated. ALSO READ: Watch: Chaos in Germiston as Home Affairs building set alight The blaze severely damaged the building's second floor, although secured documents on the ground floor were unaffected. The Department of Home Affairs will continue services through mobile units stationed at Alberton and Boksburg from Wednesday. ALSO READ: Video: Mobile Home Affairs service steps in after protest and blaze in CBD Two people have been arrested for public violence related to the protests. The City of Ekurhuleni has launched a formal investigation into the suspected arson and has pledged to hold those responsible to account.

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