Chief Albert Luthuli officials demolish several structures

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Residents of the Chief Albert Lutilian former settlement in Egolini are scrambling to salvage their belongings as demolitions continue in a multi- agency crackdown on illegal mining in the area. Community members say several families have been left homeless with some insisting innocent residents have been affected. SDF members have also been deployed alongside law enforcement authorities. News Africa's Katy Soroto is there and joins us now. Cat, the demolitions are continuing from what we understand. There are there is talk by some of the residents that some individuals who are innocent in this entire process that drags in Zama Zamas have been caught up in this demolition.

[00:00:38]What is the latest?

[00:00:43]>> Thank you very much, Hugo. So, now we're still in the area of Benoni, the greater Benoni area, just a few meters away from the Chief Albert Lutuli informal settlement. And we've actually discovered an openf felt area where a number of Euri uh vehicles, marked vehicles are here. And there's a queue behind me which now we've discovered is where the uh residents who had their homes demolished have had to come here and actually process uh process some of their information with the officials.

[00:01:14]Now, what we've been told is that as they stand in the queue here and they get closer to a van that's situated just a few meters away, this is where officials will then give them more information in terms of signing up for a home. But we those details are not clear. When we've engaged residents, they say they only just got some paperwork just um approving that indeed they their home was demolished and that they are now in the process of receiving housing. in in terms of when they'll receive that housing, we don't know yet.

[00:01:46]But we did have word from the city of Eureni in terms of an update as to the demolitions that are happening here. It has been a multid-disciplinary operation involving SAP's SPCA, home affairs, the premier's office from the city side.

[00:02:01]You're talking about human settlements, community safety, and what's actually been confirmed so far is that a number of people have been arrested. Uh they confirmed that to date law enforcement agencies have arrested 110 illegal immigrants and that goes back to why they started this operation in the beginning. And the city has been says it's been able to distinguish between suspected illegal mining related structures and homes occupied by residents by verifying forms that are used to collect the information of households. So they've also confirmed that about 286 structures have been demolished so far and they've also confirmed that they will be continuing with demolitions in the coming days. But to get the voice of some of the residents who've been affected just to get a sense from them how they feel.

[00:02:57]What assistance did you receive?

[00:03:07]WhatsApp.

[00:03:14]So everything all I want to know And so so maybe we can bring in other residents perhaps.

[00:04:14]And did they tell you now going forward?

[00:04:37]dete and and have What's happened in your situation?

[00:05:00]>> Okay.

[00:05:15]each and every day.

[00:05:19]Crystal Park Police.

[00:05:48]each and every day. And then All right.

[00:06:10]Situation Thank you. So, Hugo, there you've heard it. One resident saying uh claiming there's some you know stark uh you know allegations in that perhaps police are involved in in the corruption in the area alleging that uh police often come into the informal settlement collect monies from these illegal miners and then if you are a resident and you go and report the matter so often you find your own life uh in danger. And so the residents here have explained that they stand in this queue, they go towards the van of the Kuralini officials, then they receive a slip that says approved. That slip, they have no idea what approved means. Does it mean that they now receive a house? When will they receive that house? And obviously they ask those questions because tonight many don't know where they will sleep. They find themselves having to sleep in this open area. And as we know some of the adverse weather conditions we've experienced in Kouting in the last few days, you have women, children, elderly, and even some of the disabled we've seen uh also, you know, have their having having their homes demolished and they also having to find a way forward. And so quite a a terrible situation for the residents here. But the city has confirmed that over a 100 uh undocumented migrants have been arrested and also confirming about 286 houses have so far been demolished with the intention of continuing with those demolitions.

[00:08:07]>> Couple of questions Katl before we let you go. Firstly, have you had sight of these approved slips uh that members of this community are are getting? And and the second question speaks to the nature of the demolitions, the 286 structures that have been demolished. Um what is the criteria that has been used in in demolishing these homes? Are they all particular homes that have been built without permission? Uh what is the what is your understanding?

[00:08:39]>> Yes. So, some of the residents did actually show us their slips that have the word approved. Uh, and they it still doesn't say clearly what that means, but they did tell us that uh they were told by officials that as they receive that slip, then they have to go to human settlements to then confirm other details in terms of actually getting uh an RDP home. On the question of you know you know how officials have been able to identify which houses to demolish. The statement from the city of Ekurueni clearly outlines that um they first of all didn't issue a notice to residents because the aim was to arrest uh the uh illegal Zamazamas who or the Zamazamas who have been operating unlawfully in their mining activities. And the aim of the demolitions without notice was exactly that to apprehend and to to to catch them by surprise. And in terms of demolishing some of the households, it is in relation to that as residents say themselves, many of the Zama Zamas who have been operating at mines at um abandoned mines about 600 m 700 m away from here uh often then when they live their living uh environments they move into the informal settlement and they actually settle into the area mixing with the community you know regular people and then uh you know it's hard for then officials then to identify who is actually living there lawfully and as well as who are the zama zamas who have been operating unlawfully and so it looks like there's almost a blanket approach in terms of dealing with uh the the structures there and then residents say look 16 years ago we were told that we'd be given we they were given uh documents that said this place is just for temporary living and then after 3 months they would be relocated 16 years later now in 2026. They say they haven't been provided with uh RDP homes and that's why they've continued to live here. Many of them saying that they were moved from an area called Bups Fontaine which is not too far from here and relocated here. So it's quite a complex issue in terms of housing but also the infiltration of Zamazamas into the area and residents having to live with that on a constant basis.

[00:11:05]appreciate your time coming to us from the chief abutilian formal settlement in equal learning.