Smallholder Mrs Monika Fouche,42, (pregnant with twins); her husband Karneels 39, and their mentally-handicapped son Morné,18, forced to sleep outside their legal home because it has been occupied by ‘about’ 25 black squatters. Monica says the smallholding is the legal property of her mother-in-law Bertha Bothma, 59, who lives in Jacobsdal. She gave permission for her son and daughter-in-law to move to the humble cottage. So while they were packing up and moving, she’d asked her employer, a black man Dier Davids, 59, to keep an eye on the smallholding. Her husband Karneels had already painted the house in July and fixed it up, and also plowed the land for farming. However on Tuesday when the Fouché family arrived to move into the cottage, they discovered that Dier Davids had moved a large number of squatters into it. He claims he ‘owns and is the boss’ of the land, providing no proof for his claim that he had ‘paid a large amount of money to Mrs Bertha Bothma’s ex-husband. However the cottage has now been occupied by ‘Davids’ friends and family.’ Several families moved into the rooms and garage, and illegal electrical links hung like cobwebs from the house to the surrounding squatter shacks. Monika says she has called Eskom to turn off the electricity. “It’s just by God’s good grace that the cottage hasn’t burned down yet’, she said. So meanwhile the Fouché family have no place to go: they have planted their furniture outside beneath the stars: Monika and Karneels sleep on their bed while their son sleeps in a small tent. The SAPS say they can’t help us move the squatters out and prefer to send the homeless family to ‘a place of safety’. Davids is adamant that it’s the Fouché family’s own fault they have to sleep outdoors. “We paid for this place. The Fouché family have no right to just move into my place and have chosen to sleep outside like animals,’ he said. SAPS sergeant Kealeboga Molale confirmed that they ‘cannot get involved in civil cases such as evictions.’ They first need a court order before the police can intervene. A spokesman for the ‘Department of Informal Settlements’, Ben Bole also said they’d ‘be investigating. rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Gee-ons-huis-terug-20130817
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 19:57:34 +0000
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