Residents of Lenasia cheered in excitement as expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema walked into the High Court in Johannesburg.

Clad in a yellow T-shirt and flanked by former ANCYL secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa, who wore a suit, Malema sat down in the packed court.

Resident cheered "kgale rego emetsi" (we have been waiting for you for a long while).

And others whispered: "We are going to win the case... with Julius here." They snapped photographs and stared at Malema.

Lenasia residents are waiting to hear the fate of their illegally built homes, in a case involving the Gauteng housing department and the SA Human Rights Commission.

The commission, representing the residents, was expected to argue that human rights were violated when the demolitions started two weeks ago. The department said the houses were built on government-owned land which was sold illegally. Buyers were given forged deeds of sale bearing the department's logo.