By Doreen Mokgolo
Fearing for their lives, ActionSA members – including a member of the Gauteng legislature and a local councillor – had to abandon their housing oversight fact-finding visit to KwaThema in Ekurhuleni on Monday.
A member of the community who had been helping them was murdered on Sunday, and the group was told that their photos had been circulated to the community by a ward councillor with demands to know who brought them into the area.
The group was on a mission to inspect and investigate 84 houses that the rightful owners have been denied access to for years because hostel dwellers have illegally occupied them.
The houses are part of a list of 409 approved in 1997, but only 84 had been built by 2016.
The fact-finding visit was led by John Moodey, the chairperson of the Gauteng legislature’s standing committee on public accounts, Phillip Dolo, the Gauteng chairperson of ActionSA, and KwaThema ward councillor Tebogo Mathibane.
Moodey said: “Unfortunately due to intimidation, I am unable to exercise my authority and responsibility of oversight.”
Mathibane said one of the community members they were working with was shot dead on Sunday.
“Another community leader, who was responsible for the visit, had stopped taking my calls over the weekend,” she said.
“When we finally managed to get hold of him using a different number, he disclosed that he fears for his life after being intimidated and withdrew from the programme.
“For those reasons, we felt that it was not safe for us to enter the area as the angry individuals may be waiting to attack us,” Mathibane said.
“Nonetheless, we are relentless and will continue to fight for the community.”
Pictured above: Members of ActionSA.
Source: Supplied
