Homestead Park informal settlement resident claims community treated like secondary citizens
Simphiwe Mdukwana made the comments after the City of Johannesburg announced plans to evict the group who illegally invaded the space 20 years ago, citing that they have built their cardboard homes on a Sasol gas pipeline, which poses a safety risk.
A resident at the Homestead Park informal settlement resident, Simphiwe Mdukwana. Picture: Sphamandla Dlamini/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - A resident at the Homestead Park informal settlement in downtown Johannesburg claimed the community is being treated like secondary citizens because most of them are recyclers without formal housing.
Simphiwe Mdukwana made the comments after the City of Johannesburg announced plans to evict the group who illegally invaded the space 20 years ago, citing that they have built their cardboard homes on a Sasol gas pipeline, which poses a safety risk.
ALSO READ: Eviction deadline for Homestead Park residents extended
Councillor Rickey Nair said, “We have had land invasion, illegal recycling, and leading to various other social problems that we have encountered in the community.”
Mdukwana said he is worried about being moved far from the city, where he can get a lot of recycling work.
“We came here because we are avoiding sleeping on the streets, because on the roadside, anyone who passes can kick me and even when metro police patrol, they remove clothes and our belongings, so that's why we ran and came here because no one can see us behind the bushes.”
While Nair said the move cannot happen without alternative accommodation for the group, he highlighted that a legal process needs to be followed.