East London residents have welcomed the closure of an alleged drug den in Southernwood after police and the sheriff of the court evicted about 30 people from a house said to have been “hijacked” by criminal elements.
Although young mothers with babies, young children, pregnant women and some elderly were part of the group evicted, neighbours of the Gordon Road property and its owner, Noel Nyembe, welcomed the move.
The eviction just weeks before Christmas comes after the tenants allegedly failed to pay rent forcing Nyembe to apply for an order to have them removed.
Some of those evicted last Monday have been taken in by neighbours, but eight are now living on a stretch of grass between the house and Gordon Road.
They have erected makeshift structures using beds, blankets and wood for shelter. They ask to cook in neighbouring houses and use the toilets at a local petrol station.
Nyembe said he had been trying to get the eviction order since last September after tenants stopped paying him rent.
“I know for a fact that there was massive crime happening on that property,” he said, alleging that drug possession and trafficking were rampant while a house-breaking syndicate also operated from the property.
Nyembe said his 16-room house had been “hijacked” by criminals who moved in and forced tenants to pay rent directly to them.
He said he had asked Buffalo City Metro to cut water and electricity to the property but the occupants managed to reconnect it themselves.
“Rumour has it that there were prostitutes living there as well. I’ve been paying the bond and trying to pay the municipality bills,” he said.
“They ran up a water bill of over R43000.”
He said prior to the eviction three people had been arrested on the property.
He said the eviction was meant to take place in August, but when the sheriff attempted to carry out his duties, he was chased away and threatened.
“They’ve had four months’ notice,” he said.
DA ward councillor Patricia Williams said it was heartbreaking that some of the tenants were forced onto the streets shortly before Christmas.
“There was a lot of illegal activity going on but not everyone living in the house was guilty of it,” said Williams.
Kenneth O’Connor, the deputy sheriff of the high court, said he had been present at the eviction along with three other deputy sheriffs and police.
“It took a while for this gentleman to get an eviction order because squatters are so protected these days,” O’Connor said.
Renovations have since started on the house which now has three security guards watching over it.
Former tenants spoken to by the Dispatch claimed to have not received eviction notices.
Sibongile Mvandaba, who is living on a piece of land outside the property, said the rooms had been occupied by “students, families and others who were unemployed”.
He said rent varied with some people paying R750 a month and some nothing.
Mvandaba said there was a 65-year-old woman among them who had no place to go; four pregnant women; two babies aged four-months and six-months-old and a three-year-old.
Bulelwa Kiva, one of the mothers with a young baby said she had managed to find a place to stay since being kicked out.
Mvandaba said living on the street was not easy. “At night and when it rains we use the base of our beds as shelter.”
“If they’d given us some form of notice, maybe two months, we may have made a plan,” Mvandaba said.
But neighbours said they were happy the house had been cleared. Luyanda Gwentshe, who lives nearby, said it was unfortunate that some people were now living on the street but he was glad the criminal element had been kicked out.
“A man was stabbed to death earlier this year over drugs in that house. I’m happy they are out of there; everyone is,” he said.
Nyembe said he was planning to turn the property into office space and hoped city authorities would act against those living on the lawn.
“I don’t know what to do now because I’ve evicted them,” he said. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
Cops shut down ‘drug den’
Although young mothers with babies, young children, pregnant women and some elderly were part of the group evicted, neighbours of the Gordon Road property and its owner, Noel Nyembe, welcomed the move.
The eviction just weeks before Christmas comes after the tenants allegedly failed to pay rent forcing Nyembe to apply for an order to have them removed.
Some of those evicted last Monday have been taken in by neighbours, but eight are now living on a stretch of grass between the house and Gordon Road.
They have erected makeshift structures using beds, blankets and wood for shelter. They ask to cook in neighbouring houses and use the toilets at a local petrol station.
Nyembe said he had been trying to get the eviction order since last September after tenants stopped paying him rent.
“I know for a fact that there was massive crime happening on that property,” he said, alleging that drug possession and trafficking were rampant while a house-breaking syndicate also operated from the property.
Nyembe said his 16-room house had been “hijacked” by criminals who moved in and forced tenants to pay rent directly to them.
He said he had asked Buffalo City Metro to cut water and electricity to the property but the occupants managed to reconnect it themselves.
“Rumour has it that there were prostitutes living there as well. I’ve been paying the bond and trying to pay the municipality bills,” he said.
“They ran up a water bill of over R43000.”
He said prior to the eviction three people had been arrested on the property.
He said the eviction was meant to take place in August, but when the sheriff attempted to carry out his duties, he was chased away and threatened.
“They’ve had four months’ notice,” he said.
DA ward councillor Patricia Williams said it was heartbreaking that some of the tenants were forced onto the streets shortly before Christmas.
“There was a lot of illegal activity going on but not everyone living in the house was guilty of it,” said Williams.
Kenneth O’Connor, the deputy sheriff of the high court, said he had been present at the eviction along with three other deputy sheriffs and police.
“It took a while for this gentleman to get an eviction order because squatters are so protected these days,” O’Connor said.
Renovations have since started on the house which now has three security guards watching over it.
Former tenants spoken to by the Dispatch claimed to have not received eviction notices.
Sibongile Mvandaba, who is living on a piece of land outside the property, said the rooms had been occupied by “students, families and others who were unemployed”.
He said rent varied with some people paying R750 a month and some nothing.
Mvandaba said there was a 65-year-old woman among them who had no place to go; four pregnant women; two babies aged four-months and six-months-old and a three-year-old.
Bulelwa Kiva, one of the mothers with a young baby said she had managed to find a place to stay since being kicked out.
Mvandaba said living on the street was not easy. “At night and when it rains we use the base of our beds as shelter.”
“If they’d given us some form of notice, maybe two months, we may have made a plan,” Mvandaba said.
But neighbours said they were happy the house had been cleared. Luyanda Gwentshe, who lives nearby, said it was unfortunate that some people were now living on the street but he was glad the criminal element had been kicked out.
“A man was stabbed to death earlier this year over drugs in that house. I’m happy they are out of there; everyone is,” he said.
Nyembe said he was planning to turn the property into office space and hoped city authorities would act against those living on the lawn.
“I don’t know what to do now because I’ve evicted them,” he said. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
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