Cape Town - A community which has been renting property from Communicare for decades said they are still fighting an eviction process and are concerned that vacant properties are now being taken over by drug dealers.
Previously, court action fell through for residents in Ruyterwacht, when the matter was struck off the roll in 2021 in their bid to take court action to prevent Communicare from evicting them.
Residents claim evictions continue, while Communicare said they were in their right to execute it.
The property has since also been taken over by Good Find Properties, which are subsidiaries to Communicare, which had seen the inside of the court and were tasked to sign new leases.
In their response, Communicare said: “Communicare adheres to due legal process for all tenant disputes and relies on the court to assess the merits of each case and deliver a fair judgment.
“It is the court’s responsibility to determine whether an eviction is warranted and to ensure a fair resolution of the dispute.”
Communicare further said they were aware that vacant properties attracted illegal occupants and criminal activity and had taken steps to protect tenants and properties affected and worked closely with police.
Tenant and community leader, Aletta Lottering, said they were concerned that criminals saw this an opportunity to seize vacant property.
“I have been renting for the past 20 years with Communicare being my landlord,” she said.
“My concern is that for years now the Sheriff of the Court is brought here with Human Settlements and Law Enforcement to evict our tenants who are left being traumatised and it triggers apartheid as some end up on the streets.
“Now these homes stand empty and drug dealers are recruiting people to take over these homes and we are worried about our safety and security.
“Many of these homes are vandalised.
“Some residents have been renting for more than 60 years.”
Another resident, Badroeneesa van der Schyff, said she was evicted a few months ago and had wanted to purchase the property she had been living in.
“In 2018, we received a letter from Communicare that they would no longer be managing the properties and they were taken over by Good Find Properties and would increase properties, we were medium income earners.
“We were told if we could not afford it and find alternative accommodation, they offered an incentive scheme and there were various meetings.
“We had legal representation and we were advised to pay what we could and yet we were still summoned.
“It landed up in court and eviction was granted, the property was transferred to Purple Blok Projects.
“We assumed we have a new landlord and aimed to purchase our properties and in November 2024, I was informed that I must be out in 24 hours.
“They will hammer on the fact that we were not paying due to non-payment, we were willing to pay for the properties.”
The Cape Argus has tried to ascertain contact details for Purple Blok Projects but was unsuccessful and confirmed via court papers filed online that legal evictions via the Cape High Court had transpired in 2024. The City of Cape has since indicated they would respond to the claims.