Member of the Mayoral Commitee (MMC) for human settlements in the City of Joburg, Mlungisi Mabaso has revealed that the city is investigating the circumstances that have resulted in parts of the Diepkloof Hostel being owned by private individuals.
This comes as two people died following a protest at the Diepkloof Hostel, Soweto on Monday where residents complained about the alleged ownership of parts of the hostel. A refuse collector who, is yet to be identified, was one of the people who died after being run over by a truck just a few meters from the hostel. Another person is also believed to have been knocked over by another truck close to the hostel.
It is reported that the sale of the land took place in 2023 with Mabaso saying the city is currently investigating the matter. Mabaso visited the hostel on Monday afternoon in a bid to address concerned residents who threatened a prolonged shutdown until their matters are addressed.
“I can confirm that the hostel is privately owned. None of us were here when this illegal transaction occurred. This is why we are investigating the matter so that we determine once and for all, who did what in the system. So, that is why we had to explain to the residents. We had to be open and frank with the residents,” he said.
Earlier in the day, frustrated residents blockaded roads and looted trucks, accusing the city of failing to deliver on promises to build stand-alone homes on a nearby vacant plot.
After a truck driver accelerated into the crowd, killing two during the community protest, some of the residents looted a range of products, including pilchards, chicken braai packs and a few bottles of alcohol.
As a result, with guns in hand, police went on a search for the stolen goods, knocking on the doors of container homes structures that residents say symbolise their long-standing struggle for dignified housing.
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo indicated that the truck driver drove through a crowd in an attempt to escape the looting, injuring multiple people.
“We are going to obtain a statement from him as he hit people. He is and telling us what transpired,” he said.
A resident who did want to be named, indicated that the protest was to bring to the attention of city officials their displeasure at the private ownership of parts of the hostel.
“The reason we are protesting is because we have learnt that part of the hostel is now owned privately by certain individuals. We were dismayed as members of the community to learn of this fact. Now we do not know what is going to happen especially if people, who claim to own this part of the land, decide to evict us.
“We now want government to explain how this happened. How can an individual claim to own government land when the government should own this land, ” the resident said.
Sbongiseni Khoza, a leader in the community, called on government to explain to the residents how an individual acquired government land in the first place.
“We want government to come and explain to us how an individual got to own government property. Some of the renovation projects have come to a standstill as a result of this. Government is unable to get these projects up and running due to this,” he said.
