Cato Manor residents say eThekwini Municipality carried out brutal and illegal evictions
By Nomfundo Xolo
Shack dwellers in Cato Manor, Durban, say evictions and demolitions carried out by the eThekwini Municipality from Saturday to Monday left many homeless and injured. They accuse the municipal land invasion unit of brutality, theft and acting illegally.
On Tuesday, shack dwellers started to pick up the pieces and rebuild their homes. They have been living on the land for over a year without water provision, sanitation or electricity.
On Monday they thought the municipality had at last responded to them when a water truck arrived. They saw it stop on the main road. But, says Nhlanhla Mtshali, one of the residents, when people went to the truck and “our attention was focused on gathering water, we saw dogs running towards us … followed by the security guards who started beating us and wrecking our homes”.
“I started running,” says Mtshali. “The security guards all went for me and finally caught me. They beat me with the back of their guns, hitting my knees and elbows.”
Mtshali alleges he was taken to a nearby shack and beaten for another half hour until he lost consciousness. He was hospitalised. When GroundUp spoke to him he was on crutches and his head was bandaged.
