KNYSNA NEWS - Residents from Karatara allege they were illegally evicted from Tsiba Campus, where they moved after their homes were destroyed by the Red Ants following instruction from the municipality a few weeks ago.

They were removed from the premises on 7 October and made their way to the municipality the next day demanding to have their grievances heard.

One of the evicted residents is Samantha Windwaai, mother of two children aged six and three months respectively, said being thrown out and not having a place of her own makes her feel hopeless and that she is failing her children. "A mother's responsibility is to fend for her children, not being able to do this makes me think I would be better off dead."

Another who was stuck in the rain in the early hours of 7 October was Frank Ludick with his three children aged 14, six and three months. Ludick said they moved in at the premises on Thursday after being appointed a room at the Tsiba. "At 05:15 the Red Ants kicked open our rooms and instructed us to leave the premises even though it was raining." He said he doesn't understand why they aren't allowed to occupy the premises when there is an unoccupied building standing there, "and the municipality is not building us houses".

Francina Meyer, who is also a community leader and among the evicted residents in the area, said if it means that they need to march in order for them to have their grievances heard then so be it, but they are not keeping quiet anymore. "If they are not building us houses, a basic right, then why do they have a problem with us occupying a building that is just standing there?"

Knysna Municipality said a public meeting with the community took place on Thursday last week, when the community acknowledged its presentation on short and long-term housing projects and that a follow-up meeting with their housing and ward committee members, as well as ward councillor, has been scheduled for 30 October. A site inspection on proposed developmental layouts has been scheduled for the same date. "Various housing meetings will be held to finalise the proposed project layouts, housing waiting list, and housing allocation process/criteria," a statement by the municipality said.

A community leader, Benjamin Daniels, said they were promised houses in the meeting but that "many promises have been made in the past and none was implemented". We will only believe them when we see it happening."

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