Cape Town - Several families living in Shelley Road, Salt River,say they have nowhere else to go, should the City sell the homes they have spent most, if not all, their lives in.
On June 26, a string of households received a notice from the City, informing them that their tenancy and leases might be terminated due to the City’s intention to sell the properties.
They were also told to make the properties accessible for scheduled viewings.
At least nine affected properties, with predominantly pensioners as tenants said that since receiving the unexpected notices, they had been experiencing sleepless nights, anxiety and sickness.
Sheradia Brown, 62, said she had lived there her entire life.
“For years now, almost 40 years, we’ve been fighting for these houses.
“That is something my mother has been fighting for all these years,” she said.
In the two-bedroomed house, Brown lives with her husband, who is battling stage four cancer, as well as with their daughter and grandchildren.
“I grew up on this street, I don’t want to move out of this street.
“They’ll have to take my dead body out of that house,” Brown said.
Joy Mary Adriaan, 64, has been living there for 30 years.
In 2019, she said the City informed her that her rental of R243 would be increased to R5 500.
She approached land and housing organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi for assistance and won her case with no change in rental effected.
While the City did not mention providing alternative accommodation, she said the City should at least provide accommodation similar to what they have and with the same rental charges.
Muraad Gaibie, 48, his wife and three children are among the affected households.
“I’m feeling very sad and disappointed. I partly grew up in this house.
“My grandparents were carried out of this house, my great-grandparents were also carried out of this place.
“I don’t want to leave this place. Everything in here is a remembrance,” Gaibie said.
Gaibie was also previously told that his rental would be increased to R5 500.
Residents said their lives are rooted in the area, with work and schooling within walking distance, and that they cannot afford rental elsewhere.
Justin Minnies said: “In all honesty, I don’t think anyone else on this road could move anywhere else. Their life is here. These are all pensioners. There’s probably one or two houses where there aren’t pensioners. How are they going to survive in another area? Everything is close to us;people have been living like this for 40 years, 50 years, 60 years.”
Salt River Residents Association (SRRA) executive member Sulaiman Appoles said it was not far-fetched to link the notices to the 10-storey residential development currently under construction at 17 Shelley Road.
“As the SRRA we are pursuing the investigation of the approval and construction of that development. In the end, this all forms part of a pattern of City actions – all of it carefully designed to replace long-standing residents with wealthier classes of people, including from Johannesburg. Gentrification is the policy, the unstated policy, of the City of Cape Town with respect to Salt River and Woodstock,” Appoles said.
For many years, maintenance and repair work was not done by the City. However, last year, work was done to roofing and electrical facilities, which the residents believe was done in anticipation of the evictions.
Jade-lee Geland questioned why residents were not informed beforehand or even given first preference for purchase. Ward councillor Yusuf Mohamed said he had drafted a motion to sub-council 16 to request an investigation into the reasons and process that led to the residents receiving the notice.
The City confirmed nine households were issued the notices.
On why the City will be selling these properties, the City said the properties were surplus to the City’s need and Council approved the disposal in 1999.
Cape Argus