Hundreds of Schubart Park residents who were evicted from their flats in 2011 marched to Tshwane House, the headquarters of the City of Tshwane Municipality on Friday demanding that they be reinstated back to the Schubart Park and that the City of Tshwane must refurbish the place with immediate effect as ordered by the Constitutional Court.
The march started at the old Marabastad bus depot before proceeding to Tshwane House to hand a memorandum of grievances to MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kholofelo Morodi.
While marching to Tshwane House, news broke that one of the residents at Schubart Park- their former place of dwelling- had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a TMPD officer.
Chaos erupted as the marching crowd demanded the immediate release of the arrested resident, but leaders of the march managed to persuade the angry crowd to desist from committing any acts of violence; that they must continue with the march to Tshwane House.
After delivering their memorandum to Tshwane House, the crowd then marched to the Pretoria Central Police Station to demand the release of the arrested resident of Schubart Park.
At the time of publishing this story, the arrested resident had not yet been released.
Regarding the march to Tshwane House, chairperson of the Schubart Park Residents Committee Ali Mashimbye said the following:
“The purpose of our march was to hand in a memorandum of grievances to the Executive Mayor of Tshwane Dr Nasiphi Moya, wherein we demand that Schubart Park must be renovated according to the ruling delivered by the Constitutional Court and that the City of Tshwane Municipality must stop harassing residents of Schubart Park via constructive evictions.”
He emphasised that from time to time the City of Tshwane Municipality drags them to the Pretoria High Court and that this is tantamount to “backdoor eviction” as the Municipality cuts off electricity with the aim of making people to leave their places of dwelling on their own.
“The Constitutional Court ruling is very clear; the Municipality must refurbish Schubart Park while in the process we must be given alternative accommodation,” said Mashimbye.
He said the City of Tshwane must with immediate effect embark on a series of meetings regarding how the Schubart Park residents will be permanently reinstated to their former dwelling places.
“The City of Tshwane must stop spreading lies in the media about renovations that were supposed to take place in the D-block of Schubart Park within six months, because it is a year now since the Municipality promised to refurbish the block but nothing of that sort has happened thus far,” fumed Mashimbye.
“We are saying the Constitutional Court ruling is still relevant to this day and there is no way the City of Tshwane Municipality can deviate from it willy-nilly,” he enthused.
“Nothing for us without us,” declared Mashimbye.
The marching Schubart Park residents complained that their place of dwelling has not been refurbished as per the Constitutional Court ruling; that there is no water, no lights, no security guards and that the place is dilapidated.
They pointed out that this scenario has been reigning since 2011.
“I want to go back to Schubart Park, it is my home and I belong there,” said a distraught Solly Matlala.
“I wish and pray that the City of Tshwane would honour the Constitutional Court’s order and stop its delaying tactics,” said another resident Mpho Moraila.
“Where we are staying we are not ok and all that we want from the City of Tshwane is to take us back to Schubart Park, which is our home, and stop playing games with our lives,” enthused yet another resident Godfrey Rashoka.
During the march, the irate residents carried placards and sjamboks, and some EFF members showed their support for the march by joining the marching residents.
Copy of Memorandum by Schubart Park residents: