WATCH: Springfield demolitions raise questions over housing rights
They argued that the demolitions were necessary to curb the unlawful occupation of land and prevent the unchecked growth of informal housing, which they say poses health, safety, and environmental risks.
The eThekwini Municipality, on Thursday, September 4, demolished several informal dwellings along Glade Road in Springfield, leaving a handful of families displaced and sparking renewed debate about housing rights and the legality of evictions.
Municipal officials on the ground during the demolition said the structures formed part of ‘illegally built extensions’ of an existing informal settlement.
They argued that the demolitions were necessary to curb the unlawful occupation of land and prevent the unchecked growth of informal housing, which they say poses health, safety, and environmental risks.
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However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from some community members, who accuse the city of failing to provide sustainable housing solutions in the face of Durban’s worsening housing crisis. With thousands of families on the waiting list for government housing, many residents insist they have little choice but to erect makeshift shelters on vacant land.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has repeatedly stressed that Section 26 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to adequate housing and explicitly prohibits evictions without a court order.
Under the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act (PIE Act), evictions and demolitions can only be carried out after due legal process and in a manner deemed ‘just and equitable’ by a court. It was not immediately clear whether a court order had been obtained in the Springfield operation.
The demolitions follow similar municipal crackdowns in other parts of the metro, intensifying tensions between the city’s enforcement of land-use regulations and the desperation of shack dwellers. The shack dwellers’ movement, Abahlali Basemjondolo, have many-a-time condemned such actions, with general secretary, Thapelo Mohapi, linking it to broader inequality and neglect.
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“There are more people living in informal settlements today than there were in 1994, and these are the very people who continue to suffer the most,” Mohapi said.
He cited recent Durban floods that left several dead as evidence of government failure to safeguard vulnerable communities. While some residents applauded the demolitions as a necessary intervention against land invasions, others expressed despair.
“We have nowhere else to go,” said one displaced resident. Efforts to obtain comment from the eThekwini Municipality were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
@risingsuncommunity eThekwini demolishes illegal dwellings in Springfield The eThekwini Municipality recently carried out the demolition of several dwellings erected along Glade Road in Springfield, which had been identified as illegally built extensions of the existing informal settlement in the area. #Domolition #LandUseDebate #LandInvasion #eThekwiniMunicipality #InformalSettlement
