Cape Town - Tenants at Belhar Gardens Rental Estate have criticised Madulammoho, a social housing institution, of being a money-making entity at the expense of its tenants after eight families were served with eviction orders to vacate the units before January next year.
This is on top of the other 10 cases which the social housing institution said were still before the court.
The Belhar Gardens Rental Estate has 630 rental units with bachelor units, 230 1-bed units, and 210 2-bed units with rentals ranging from R960 to R2869 a month, excluding municipal utilities.
Community activist Jolene Booysen said that from March 2020, Madulammoho stopped the evictions after an article by the Cape Argus in March 2020 about four families were left destitute after they were evicted from the social housing development for failing to pay rental arrears, but had now commenced with evicting vulnerable tenants.
Booysen said among those who faced evictions now were tenants who had lost their jobs and the elderly. Some tenants had notified the institution of their financial predicament. However, this was not considered.
“People do not have a problem being evicted but what about the law that clearly states about ensuring the well-being of the evicted to ensure they have alternative accommodation when being evicted?
“People are evicted and the particular judge only asks if they have a place in three months and then grants the eviction without ensuring alternative accommodation,” she said.
One of the tenants, Shireen Piedt, whose case is before the court, said she was stressed about the prospect of being homeless with her underage kids.
Piedt said she pays a monthly rental of R3 800 and is dependent on social grants and odd jobs as a source of family income.
Piedt said the tenants were looking for legal representatives to assist with the pending eviction court cases.
Madulammoho CEO Reiner Erasmus said evictions were their last resort.
Erasmus said Madulammoho cannot provide any tenant with alternative accommodation, but if the court deems it necessary, the City would be requested to provide alternative accommodation.
“There is a positive duty on Madulammoho to comply with the Social Housing Act and the Social Housing Regulatory Authority requirements and, due to this duty and the massive need for social housing, Madulammoho is required to take steps against unlawful occupiers to comply with the law, to protect the rights of beneficiaries in its social housing programmes and its interests,” he said.