KNYSNA NEWS - A total of 24 families’ were affected by the Knysna Municipality’s decision to have them permanently evicted from some of the 30 RDP homes which they had illegally occupied. They were evicted on Wednesday, August 3 in Concordia.

As reported in the Knysna-Plett Herald on Thursday, August 4, these evictees said that when they were relocated from White Location to a site adjoining the RDP home development in 2008, the Knysna Municipality promised them the first completed RDP homes. They have been living in temporary homes provided by the municipality for more than three years, before they made the decision to illegally occupy the RDP houses.

"We are very unhappy. We don’t know what to do. Because the court and the municipality had taken the decision to have us all evicted from these homes on their own. We were never consulted prior to receiving an eviction order on Wednesday," said one such evictee, who prefers to remain anonymous.

According to a media statement by the Knysna Municipality: "After 24 homes in the northern areas were illegally occupied on April 14, 2011, Knysna Municipality have taken the necessary steps to evict these illegal occupiers so that the homes may be handed over to the approved beneficiaries, many of whom, according to Municipal Manager Johnny Douglas, are elderly individuals who have been on the waiting list for a new home for a very long time."
Douglas explained, "We built 30 homes on a managed land site in Concordia, and as we were getting ready to hand these homes over to their rightful owners, 24 of the houses were illegally occupied by people living in informal houses provided by the municipality on an adjoining site."

Explaining why the illegal occupants only received the warrants for eviction on the day they were removed from the homes, Douglas said, "We obtained an interim interdict against these occupiers, which was appealed against before the Clerk of the Court could issue the warrants of eviction. Council then brought an urgent application before the court to set the notice of appeal aside as an ‘irregular step’ on the basis that an interim order cannot legally be appealed against. The court granted the order to set aside the appeal on Friday, July 29 and on the morning of August 3 the warrants for eviction were issued by the sheriff.

"The sheriff was aided in this operation by approximately 40 members of the South African Police Force, response vehicles, a private security company and members of the Department: Law Enforcement," said Douglas.

He said that municipal housing officials were also on site to assist where possible and to record all belongings present in the houses prior to eviction, in an effort to ensure that all personal property would be returned to the evictees.

It was also reported in the Knysna-Plett Herald that the fate of these evictees were unknown as many had no alternative home to live in. However, the Knysna Municipality provided building material for these residents to rebuild some of the shacks they previously occupied. These informal homes burnt down in April this year.

An evictee complained, "We had all applied for RDP houses at the same time and day. I do not understand or know what happened to our application forms. What did the municipality do with all of our forms?"

Douglas confirmed that none of the evictees had qualified for a housing subsidy. "It must be made clear that none of these invaders have qualified for a housing subsidy. In fact, only one has applied for such a subsidy." he said, adding, "At no stage did the municipality commit to handing these homes over to any of the illegal occupiers."

"We have contractors ready to repair any damage these houses may have sustained during the period of illegal occupancy and will hand over these homes to the legal beneficiaries as soon as these issues have been addressed," said Douglas.
"We have also arranged for these homes to be guarded by security staff from the date of eviction until the legally entitled beneficiaries are able to move into their new homes," concluded Douglas.

Executive Mayor Georlene Wolmarans expressed her gratitude toward the legal beneficiaries, saying, "You have been extremely patient and understanding during this period - thank you."

She further said, "I urge all residents who suspect that they might qualify for a housing subsidy to apply for one. We can only provide homes to legally approved beneficiaries and I am very happy to know that these particular beneficiaries will be able to move into their new homes soon.

"It is our responsibility to provide homes to those who follow the correct channels and procedures. The imminent hand-over of these 30 homes pays testament to the fact that we not only promise, but deliver," concluded Wolmarans.
The 24 evictees together with the legal representative of the Knysna Municipality appeared in court on Friday, August 5. The case could not be heard due to the applicable documents not being available on the day. The case was remanded to Friday, August 12.


Municipal housing officials, Police, law enforcement officers and the sheriff, performed an eviction on Wednesday, August 3. All the illegal occupants’ belongings were removed from the houses.

ARTICLE: ROZANO ALIE, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD REPORTER