Pretoria - The Ministerial Enquiry on Nomzamo (Lwandle) evictions closed the first day of community oral presentations, on Tuesday.
Several community members appeared before the enquiry, as well as randomly selected people from the audience to detail their removals from the land, last month.
The ministerial enquiry was appointed by Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, on 4 June, to investigate the eviction of more than 800 residents from their informal settlements, following a court order that they be removed, as the land they stayed on was being occupied illegally.
The land in question was reportedly owned by the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral), which is earmarked for road construction.
Their shacks were demolished and set alight. Many people lost most or all of their possessions.
The minister gave the Commission of Enquiry two months to report back with the findings that would reveal the circumstances that led to the inhumane evictions.
It will probe the execution of the court order by SANRAL and the role of the relevant Sheriff for the jurisdiction of Cape Town; the roles of the SAPS, the Cape Town Metro Police and any other official of the national, provincial and local government involved.
The enquiry, which is chaired by advocate Denzil Potgieter, will also aim to establish the identity of the affected members of the informal settlement community of Lwandle and how the community came to be on the land in question, when there is a waiting list for the provision of housing in terms of government programmes.
Several entities and institutions have appeared before the members of the enquiry, since the start of the hearings, on 11 July.
They include the national Department of Human Settlements, Housing Development Agency (HDA), an eye witness who was present when the first evictions in Nomzamo took place, Tim Flack, Access to Justice Association of Southern Africa, Ses’Khona People’s Rights Movement, Sobahlangula Social Investment Project (SSIP), Nomzamo (Lwandle) Ward Councillor Mbuyiselo Matha and the Sheriff.
Representatives from the SANRAL, SAPS, the City of Cape Town and the national Human Settlements and Transport departments would be called to testify at the hearing, which resumes its oral hearings in the Lwandle community hall, on Thursday. - SAnews.gov.za
