Zimpapers Logo

A group of desperate Welkom residents who have recently been evicted by a church from an informal settlement they’ve been residing in since 2016 say they have nowhere to go.

Residents are requesting the Matjhabeng Municipality to provide them with formalised sites after the Forward in Faith Church structure was built on the land.

The church has instructed affected households to relocate as they were invading their private property.

Residents are seeking clarity after being removed from the informal settlement without being provided with an alternative place.

One resident says, “There was a church problem, they told us the land belongs to them, it’s a private property, so then there was an argument between us and them that if the land is yours, can you give us proof…until this moment, they’ve never provided such proof.”

Another adds: “It’s been close to eight years since we’ve been staying here and we’re not happy that the church has removed while we didn’t even know where we would be staying. We were told to move because the land belongs to the church, and we asked to at least be provided with a formalised land, and they said we should find ourselves vacant land to occupy. We did find land to place our shacks and now when it rains, the shacks get flooded and our belongings get damaged by the water, we really don’t know what to do.”

Residents say they have previously requested intervention from their councillor who allegedly until this day has not responded.

The Matjhabeng Municipality has distanced itself from the matter.

Spokesperson Tshediso Tladi says, “The land in question doesn’t belong to the municipality but (is) privately owned and this can be verified through a deed search or by consulting the current occupants of the land. The municipality has no record of any requests from households in Phokeng for formalisation. In the very same area, we’re only responsible for two school sites, both of which requires owning an approval from the Department of Education. Back in 2019, formal allocations were made in the same area. While we’re addressing informal settlements as part of our planning process, it is important to also respect planning property rights. Lastly, it is important to note that the emergency housing matters falls under the provincial and national Human Settlement authorities.”