UPDATE: Quiet after council flats invaded
ALEX - Scores of Alex residents have invaded and occupied empty council flats in Ext. 8 which have been standing idle for several months.
UPDATE: 24 July 2014, 3:30pm –
Quiet has been restored to Alexandra following the invading of council flats last night.
According to an Alex News reporter on the scene, the flats are empty and only a few security guards can be seen milling about.
According to sources, the people who invaded the flats may not have qualified to own them. Residents were given the opportunity to apply for them, but they have been standing vacant for several months, waiting to be occupied.
More than 1 000 people reportedly applied for the flats, but only 11 were approved after credit as well as residence checks.
Initial report: The flats were completed many months ago and council had asked residents to apply for rental occupation or bond ownership through the council,
The council was going to assess the applicants and determine whether they qualify to rent or to secure a bond with the bank.
Since then the flats have standing empty and no visible movement in terms of occupation has been taking place, desperate residents decided to move in. They invaded the flats and broke down the door handles to gain entry.
They moved in with all their belongings and inscripted their names on the doors, laying claims to the properties.
Police were called in to try and calm the boisterous group of residents who said they had no roof above their heads but these flats have been standing empty for several months.
“What are we expected to do under those circumstances. We have been watching these flats for many months and dreaming about them and hoping that we might be allowed to allocated them but nothing has been happening. We couldn’t stomach this anymore and as residents we decided to move in,” said one of the illegal occupants, Phindile Maseko.
Police at the scene refused to comment but said they will remain on the scene to guard against any form of vandalism until they receive instructions as to what to do with the illegal occupants
Those people should be removed they need to learn to respect theay can’t jst say “de flat have been standing for month so 4 them its good to move in what if de flat was 4 other perposes and they dsdd to move in”that’s trispering”they should start thnkng lyk adults hw wil there kids do if they r de 1s dng dat