Blikkiesdorp Joint Committee: We have been chased out of our homes like dogs!
Tensions in Blikkiesdorp have placed residents in constant fear. After a series of petrol bombings and four killings over the last three weeks, leaders and their families received death threats and have fled their homes. The families have a temporary safe haven, and individual donors and the Yeladim Charity have put together a small fund for food and necessities.
Ettienne Claasen, one of the community leaders who has been targeted, says, “We are very disturbed by the events of the last 3 months. We have had to flee our homes, as we are scared for our lives.”
The temporary relocation area, known as Blikkiesdorp, has been in existence for 12 years. Born of an eviction, and a court order, the area became a ‘go to’ place for the City of Cape Town when housing families rendered homeless as a result of evictions, and xenophobic violence. Originally built to the specifications of the High Court set out for the residents of Joe Slovo who were being accommodated while on site upgrades were going on. Blikkiesdorp housing has no insulation, communal water and toilets, and had no community centre, or any facilities, other than a temporary church.
A group of leaders in the community formed the Blikkiesdorp Joint Committee (BJC) to work towards decent housing.
The BJC then engaged with the planning process which was underway for an upgrade to the adjacent airport. They were able to engage with the consultants, airport management of the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and the City of Cape Town on the plans for their relocation. The plan did not provide for two key communities in the TRA – foreign nationals, and those who are not eligible for RDP housing. These appear to be either not considered or beyond the scope of the plan. The BJC agreed to go forward as a group to demand rehousing for the whole community, and put in a submission to the planning process raising their concerns.
This video documentary details their work in getting an agreement in place.
They and the City then agreed that all the people from Blikkiesdorp, as captured in a 2016 census, will be moved to either houses or site and service plots in a development nearby, which will include light industrial developments. The community will be filling in subsidy forms over the next few weeks.
This seems to have been the trigger for a SANCO affiliated group to get involved in the community, and a number of “representatives” are putting themselves forward as representing the community. This group have also become involved in vigilante action in the community. A number of killings have taken place, and several structures burned. The leadership in the BJC have now been threatened with death. They have left Blikkiesdorp.
Jane Roberts speaks of the pain of leaving their homes: “We have been chased out of our homes like dogs. Our children have been traumatized.”
Despite laying charges at the police station, and having evidence as to the individuals who have been part of the vigilante action, no steps have been taken by SAPS, or Law Enforcement, to protect the community or their belongings. Ironically, the City and the courts continue to evict people to Blikkiesdorp.
For more information, please contact:
Ettienne Claasen (Blikkiesdorp Joint Committee): 074 285 0280
Alison Tilley (Right2Know Campaign): 0711052507
