The residents of Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion will oppose the eviction of residents who are illegally occupying RDP houses meant for residents of Mooiplaas informal settlement. A News24 report says the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements approached the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) yesterday seeking an eviction order to remove illegal occupiers from 888 low-cost houses built in Olievenhoutbosch.

The matter, which was on the unopposed roll, will now be moved to the opposed roll after the residents of Olievenhoutbosch stepped in to oppose the motion. It will be heard on 23 May. Olievenhoutbosch community leader Peter Seolela said that the rightful owners of the RDP houses were already living there and that there was no way they would give the houses up without a fight. He added that government promised 4 500 houses to the residents of Olievenhoutbosch, but this promise was never fulfilled.

Seolela said if all the RDP houses promised were built, then both the communities of Olievenhoutbosch and Mooiplaas would be housed and there would be no animosity between them. Advocate Noxolo Khumalo, acting on behalf of the Department of Human Settlements, reportedly told News24 that the department approached the court in order to obtain an eviction notice as the 888 houses had already been allocated to beneficiaries residing in Mooiplaas informal settlement, around 11km from Olievenhoutbosch. Khumalo said thousands of people would ultimately be evicted as each of the 888 RDP homes houses an average of six people.

Full News24 report