Woman hospitalised after three-bedroom house was demolished

Trust granted order to demolish houses built on land earmarked for a cemetery

Mandla Khoza Freelance journalist
Over 30 households are being demolished at Mataffin in Mbombela as the Mdluli trust got an order to remove residents who built homes on a land meant for cemetery.
Over 30 households are being demolished at Mataffin in Mbombela as the Mdluli trust got an order to remove residents who built homes on a land meant for cemetery.
Image: Mandla Khoza

Two double-storey houses are some of the homes that were demolished on Thursday in Mpumalanga because their owners had built them on a land that had been earmarked for a cemetery.

One of the owners collapsed while watching her three-bedroom house being demolished and had to be rushed to hospital. 

This came after the Mdluli Trust, which owns the land, took the homeowners to court for building there illegally and was granted a demolition order.

A court order, which Sowetan has seen, says about 40 houses are set to be demolished.

Speaking to Sowetan at the scene, Lesedi Tshaka said her mother was outside the house when the excavators arrived. She called us and said they were demolishing.

“While I was picking little things, I saw my mother collapsing and we had to call an ambulance; she's now in hospital.

“I was sleeping as my children were getting ready to go to school but they stormed into our house and started demolishing."
Sindi Nkosi

“I remained behind because of the children who are in the house and for those who went to school to find me here. As we speak, we don't know where we are going to sleep because we don't have relatives around here.

“My mother bought this land in 2018, we started staying here in 2019 after building. We were not told that we will be removed until last year where we were given papers that we were to be removed,” said Tshaka.

According to the homeowners, they were sold the stands by community members and were never told about the intention to use the land for a cemetery.

Sindi Nkosi said she was still sleeping when her house was demolished.

“We were not lucky because they started from us.

“I was sleeping as my children were getting ready to go to school but they stormed into our house and started demolishing. We started staying here in 2019, we bought the stands then from some guy whom we called in the morning but he has now disappeared,” Nkosi.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.