1000 people evicted from Joburb flats

12 February 2010 - 16:14 By Sapa
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Around 1000 illegal occupants of a block of Johannesburg flats were being evicted on Friday, police said.

Inspector Richard Munyai said they were leaving the block of flats in Van Beeck Street, Doornfontein, quietly and making their way to the Ellis Park taxi ran.

They would probably spend the night there. No alternative living arrangements had been made for them.

They were mainly foreigners and were being evicted by, court order, by the police and the Red Ants supported the sheriff of the court.

"We arrested a 40-year-old man for collecting rent from the evictees, while the building did not belong to him," said Munyai.

He was not sure what time the eviction process would end. Munyai said the police also evicted a panel-beating firm from another building the area.

"We took about 20 vehicles out of the building," he said.

Munyai could not say exactly why the company was being evicted or whether any other companies would be evicted.

"It is either that they did not pay their rent, or that they also paid rent to someone who collected it illegally," he said.

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