A group of Zimbabweans forced out of their shacks in the Zandspruit squatter camp north of Johannesburg more than a year ago are now facing eviction from the temporary accommodation to which they were moved.
“We have been forgotten and have fewer rights because we are seen as foreigners,” says Felix Dube, the squatters’ spokesperson.
The Johannesburg city council is seeking an eviction order against the occupants of Goudrand Hall in the Mathole settlement on the West Rand because it was only meant to provide temporary housing. Last Tuesday the council took the group to the high court to seek an eviction order.
But the Zimbabweans refuse to leave, saying the South African government and their consul have failed to compensate them for the loss of their property in Zandspruit.
The Mail & Guardian reported in October 2001 that mayhem erupted in Zandspruit when a Xhosa-speaking man was allegedly shot by a Zimbabwean during a brawl in a shebeen. Marauding hoodlums then went on a rampage to drive all Zimbabweans out of the area.
“Our shacks were burnt and we were attacked. We lost everything,” says Victor Ndiweni, a resident.
Ndiweni says the men do not want to continue living in the hall. “None of our wives are allowed here.”
Despite the dismal conditions, the men insist they will not leave.
“They must give us an alternative place to stay. We lost everything in Zandspruit, now they want to kick us out of this hall,” says Jackson Sibanda, a Zimbabwean who has been living in South Africa since the 1980s.
Dube blames the Zimbabwean consul for not making a concerted effort to find alternative accommodation for the residents.
In response to the council’s action, the Zimbabwean consul sent a letter to the high court asking that the eviction order be postponed. The letter said that an arrangement was being made to accommodate the men. The judge found no evidence that the Zimbabwean consul had been communicating with the council and gave the consul until February 18 to resolve the problem.
The group demanded a meeting with the Zimbabwean high commission on Friday, January 31. “The ANC [African National Congress] is running away from this problem. The [Zimbabwean] consulate is running away from this problem. But who will compensate us for all we lost?” asks Aletta Moyo, a South African who married one of the Zimbabwean men.
Godfrey Dzvairo, the representative of the Zimbabwean consulate, was unavailable for comment.