Latest news with #EkurhuleniHousingCompany
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- TimesLIVE
‘We can't surrender to criminals': Ekurhuleni mayor Xhakaza on evictions, home affairs arson attack
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.
The Herald
7 days ago
- The Herald
Evictions, a missed wedding and IDs up in flames in Germiston
Two people were arrested for arson and rubber bullets were fired to disperse demonstrators in Germiston on Tuesday as police and Ekurhuleni metro police officers responded to a protest over evictions. Firefighters are battling a fire at the home affairs building in the city centre. Gauteng deputy police commissioner Maj-Gen Fred Kekana was on the scene and confirmed the arrests. Officials from Ekurhuleni Housing Company have started evictions at the Pharoe Park residential complex. Trucks are being loaded with residents' belongings. Pillows, beds, electronics, cupboards and sofas and small items are scattered outside the complex. Some residents initially resisted the eviction, with SAPS and metro police responding by firing rubber bullets. Most of the residents in the area ran out of the complex after the commotion. Some people outside the home affairs building said they had travelled far to collect their documents. Anna Molefe from Vosloorus said she left home at 5am on Tuesday. ' When we arrived this morning [the building] was burning and we couldn't get an answer about what was happening. Will we get our ID documents or have they been burned in the fire?' A couple who were supposed to get married at home affairs this morning were disappointed that a date secured two months ago could not be used due to the fire. Promise Nozibele, 32, and Nthabiseng Simelane, 29, were relieved when a home affairs official told them he would arrange with the nearest office for them to get married. The couple, who had been together for the past 12 years, were married in a traditional wedding last November. On Tuesday, as it is Simelane's birthday, the couple took their parents with them to witness their marriage, but arrived to find the building on fire. 'I'm out of words. First, we had planned for this day. We made reservations and now this is happening,' said Similane. She said they made their booking in June, about two months ago.
