Hours after the Bokamoso Social Housing Project was launched in Soweto‚ vandals trashed more than 30 units and left a pregnant woman injured‚ says Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba.
“A group of 50 people burned five units and vandalised 30 units at the site. No injuries were reported except for a pregnant woman who fell down from a wall while trying to flee the scene‚” Mashaba said in a statement.
The incident happened on Wednesday night.
“The group of attackers pulled out sewage pipes‚ knocked down walls and destroyed the transparent fencing around the project. The property’s security immediately called back-up‚ including local SAPS and JMPD to assist‚” said Mashaba.
Mashaba believed that the destruction was carried out by people who did not qualify for the social housing scheme or did not want to pay rent.
The Bokamoso low-cost housing project has 588 units‚ some bachelor and others family units.
The development was aimed at integrating mixed-income groups to achieve social‚ economic and spatial integration‚ said Mashaba.
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