Residents of Norvena Court in Hillbrow say they are being unlawfully evicted from their homes after months of intimidation and electricity cuts that left many living in the dark.
On Thursday morning, chaos unfolded as tenants resisted attempts to remove them from the building some saying they have nowhere else to go.
Nothisa Morwe, who has lived at Norvena Court since 2017, says she has battled to keep up with the steep rent hikes.
“They started switching off our electricity, the bill kept going up, and now they say we owe them money we don’t even know about,” Morwe said.
“I was paying R1,200, then it became R1,900, now they say I must pay R3,500. I just can’t afford that anymore.”
She says residents were told the eviction was because they allegedly failed to pay rent during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“They told us it’s payback time,” she said, describing how the overcrowded building had become home to families sharing tight spaces. “You find it’s a two-bedroom apartment but people have divided it with curtains — more than 15 people living there.”
Another tenant, Senator Maleka, said residents have been left stranded.
“I just hope something can be done so people can return to their flats. They are standing outside with nowhere to go,” Maleka said.
Advocate Mpho Sebopa, representing the residents, arrived at the scene and accused the sheriff of carrying out an illegal eviction.
“My duty was to ensure the eviction was done lawfully and that residents were informed of their rights, including what order justifies their removal,” Sebopa explained. “But the sheriff refused to show me the court order.”
According to Sebopa, the legal team withdrew after the sheriff declined to share documents authorising the eviction.
“The sheriff doesn’t want to show me the warrants or share his details. That becomes the end of it,” he said.
Sebopa added that a leave to appeal against the eviction had already been filed, meaning the process should have been halted.
“We served the sheriff’s office because our clients accused them of committing irregular acts in the past,” he said. “I will be reporting their conduct and behaviour.”
Later after the sheriff and police left some residents picked up their belongings and returned to their flats.
City of Joburg Department of Human Settlement said the building does not belong to them.
