Cape Town - Shelley Road residents in Salt River who faced potential eviction by the City of Cape Town are in the process of finally becoming homeowners.
On June 26, a number of households received a letter from the City, informing them that their tenancy and leases might be terminated due to the City’s intention to sell the properties.
A similar letter was also issued to occupants where no leases were in place, requesting them to vacate the property by no later than July 31.
At the time, the City said the properties were market-related rental properties distinct from council rental stock and were no longer required for municipal purposes.
The tenants said they had nowhere else to go and that rental anywhere else would be unaffordable; that their lives and livelihoods were rooted in the community; and that they had lived in the homes for most, if not all, of their lives.
Determined to fight this, the Shelley Road Anti-Eviction Committee was established and saw strong support from the Salt River community, beyond the periphery of Salt River, and a number of political parties.
The residents also sought assistance from land and housing non-profit organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU).
Ndifuna Ukwazi Law Centre attorney Jonty Cogger said the organisation was providing legal assistance to ensure the City followed through.
“We will also request that leases be temporarily transferred to individuals who have lost secure tenancy due to a family member’s death. Unfortunately, no specific time frames have been given to the tenants, which is a concern,” he said.
The residents have been assisted by the City’s human settlements and economic growth directorates in the homeownership process.
The City’s human settlements housing information branch along with Mayco member for human settlements Carl Pophaim have been engaging with the tenants as part of the ongoing land release process.
Following the assessments, the City said all nine residences provisionally meet the criteria for subsidies to take ownership of the units and that the occupants have agreed to submit subsidy applications.
“I take this personally as a generational beneficiary of City home ownership transfer myself, and I am committed to seeing our residents become homeowners. I am simply overjoyed that we are able to help in this case,” said Pophaim in a statement.
One of the tenants, Jade-lee Geland, said the affected families were grateful.
“The neighbours have all been smiling, everyone is a lot more at ease now after the MMC (member of the mayoral committee) came out himself to come and assure people that Human Settlements were going to take the property and then guide us through the process of being on their database, which they did.
“Now we’ve gotten a notice of press releases from the City saying we will be homeowners and all nine of the houses qualify.”
Ward councillor Yusuf Mohamed informed that in approximately one year, the tenants would be official homeowners.