Shack dwellers evicted from Thembisa informal football pitch

More than 50 shacks erected on an informal football pitch in Kopanong, Thembisa, were dismantled by the Ekurhuleni metro police department (EMPD) last week. 

This after the City of Ekurhuleni obtained a court order to carry out the removal of the metal structures, which started springing up in 2019. 

City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said: “We removed the shacks after obtaining a court order as they had been illegally occupying the land. Right now it is being used as an informal soccer field but what will happen with that space in the future still needs to be discussed.” 

EMPD spokesperson Chief Supt Kelebogile Thepa said metro police members dismantled the shacks on Wednesday and Thursday. 

“We sent in teams to take down the shacks over two days. The first lot were dismantled on Wednesday and the next day we completed the operation by removing the rest.” 

Last month the Sunday Times reported how dozens of one-bedroom shacks were an eyesore for residents, players and coaches after being erected on what was once a football pitch used daily by young and old. 

Describing himself as a leader of the “concerned community residents of Kopanong”, Tshepo Chidi, 34, insisted they were legal. 

“We have been involved in a land dispute with the City of Ekurhuleni since 2016 and we recently won a court case against them, so they are not allowed to remove us or dismantle our shacks,” he said. 

In 2019, Chidi and several other shack dwellers took the city to court over a plot of land (erf 98/91) after suffering at the hands of the land invasion unit, which repeatedly dismantled their homes. 

After several appearances in the Johannesburg high court, an order was granted in favour of the shack dwellers on October 25, stipulating the city must refrain from interfering or dismantling their homes. 

Andrew Mosesi, chair of the community police board for Ekurhuleni North, said the only reason the shack dwellers were granted the order was because the city did not send anyone to court to oppose the application. 

“The state did not send anyone to oppose that application but later appointed attorneys to oppose the interdict and get an eviction order. I am impressed that the authorities did not rest because it was a quick turnaround time. People must respect the laws of this country and not occupy land illegally,” he said. 

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