A 52-year-old Maitland woman said she was sleeping outdoors after her shack was demolished for the fifth time since July. Nomaindia Ketani said the latest demolition took place on Friday, 23 October 2026.
Ketani lives at the Gate 7 informal settlement, opposite Maitland Cemetery on Voortrekker Road. Her 22-year-old daughter uses a wheelchair and was staying with other people for now, Ketani said.
“Now we are sleeping outside because we have nowhere to go,” she told IOL Media. “We fear for our safety, obviously, but the reason why we are here is that we don’t have any other place to stay.”
Ketani said she and other residents moved onto the land in July. She said they rebuilt their shelters each time they were taken down.
She said many people could no longer afford new building materials, so some put up tents. Those tents were also removed, she said.
Ketani said her daughter lost medication and personal care items in the demolition. “The City officials took her napkins that she uses, her medication and her linen saver and threw them away during the demolition,” she said.
She said she asked strangers living nearby to give her daughter a place to stay. “I asked strangers to house her temporarily because I can not let her sleep outside, and I wouldn’t ask them to house me as well and become another burden,” she said.
Ketani alleged that residents received no warning and saw no court order. “When they came on Friday, they did not notify anyone or even show a court order,” she said.
She said she believed officials had to produce the order, have someone sign for it and leave a copy. She also said most residents were away when their homes came down.
According to Ketani, only two structures were left standing. She said one had a child inside, and the owner of the other told officials they had children at school.
Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement department, said the land belongs to a private owner. “The land in question is private property, and the landowner obtained a court order for the removal of the illegal occupants,” Dyason said.
He said the landowner asked Law Enforcement officers to assist, based on that court order. Dyason referred further questions about the removal to the landowner.
Ketani also claimed residents were given fines of R3 000 and told to pay them at the Goodwood Municipality. She questioned how that could work if the land is privately owned.
“If they say this land is private, who will be taking the fines? Who are we paying to?” she said. She added that many residents were unemployed.
IOL reported that the City did not name the landowner, despite multiple attempts to get this information. The City also did not confirm whether residents were fined.
Ketani claimed the ward councillor declined to comment because he did not want to appear to support people building shacks on the land. IOL said Ward 56 councillor Cheslyn Daniels could not be reached despite several attempts.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.