Residents of the Wembley Informal Settlement in Turffontein, south of Johannesburg, say they are being unfairly targeted by the City of Johannesburg following a raid conducted on Friday morning.
The operation was led by the Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, and involved the disconnection of illegally connected electricity as well as the arrest of 10 people, most of whom are undocumented foreign nationals.
Resident Pamela Kiti, who has lived in the settlement for a decade, says the City initially relocated them to Wembley as a temporary solution after they were evicted from the Johannesburg CBD.
“They brought us here after we were evacuated from Jeppe and Small Street. We ended up staying on the streets and protesting, and then lawyers helped us find this place,” Kiti said.
The mother of four says the arrangement was meant to be temporary, but residents have now been living at the settlement for years.
“We don’t know where they will take us. We don’t like living like this my children shouldn’t be growing up under these conditions,” she said.
Kiti also claimed City Power officials arrived to cut electricity that had already been connected when residents moved into the settlement.
Another resident from Mozambique, who asked not to be named, said he has nowhere else to go if removed.
“I have been staying here for eight years. Many people arrived after I did, but I don’t have another place to go,” he said.
Several other residents refused to speak to the media or have their photographs taken. Some were visibly angry and threatened City officials with legal action. The operation was conducted under heavy security, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD).
Mabaso said Wembley is one of the City’s temporary residential areas, established to accommodate people evicted from the inner city and to de-densify informal settlements, particularly during the Covid-19 period.
“This facility was established by the City of Johannesburg in response to evictions in the inner city. Some of the people allocated here were moved during Covid-19 as part of de-densification efforts,” Mabaso said.
He claimed the City had received information about illegal occupants, including allegations of drug dealing and the unlawful renting out of City-provided accommodation to foreign nationals.
“We have information that this facility is being rented out illegally. There are drug operations happening here, which expose many children to danger,” he said.
Mabaso alleged that some of the original beneficiaries had moved out and sublet the units illegally.
“When we provide this space, it is for people who have no financial means. But we have seen cases where beneficiaries moved out and rented the units to others,” he said.
He added that the City would conduct an audit to identify those who had vacated and sublet the units, warning that fraud cases could be opened against them.
Mabaso also dismissed criticism from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), which frequently challenges the City in court over evictions.
“They are anti-progress. They don’t want to see the City developing. They have attempted to halt this operation under the pretense of representing certain individuals,” he said.
SERI lawyer Zanele Khanya told Newsnote that the organisation was alerted to the operation after law enforcement officials arrived at the settlement to search for undocumented foreign nationals and disconnect electricity.
“We requested to speak to the MMC, but he refused to engage with us. We then came to the property. We are not aware of any authority allowing electricity disconnections. There should be a court order or written authorisation from the relevant authorities,” Khanya said.
She added that residents had not been given any prior notice before the operation was carried out.
