As residents of Huis Alleyne Yeld prepare for a court date regarding potential eviction, Communicare says it has not received any notice of a court matter.

Two weeks ago, residents protested against the auction of the Huis Alleyne Yeld properties in Ruyterwacht and Bishop Lavis. The properties are under the ownership of Communicare. One of the affected residents, Arlene Barends, says the auction was set for 14 May.

Barends says it approached the Western Cape High Court and was granted an interdict to prevent the auction. The court hearing is set for 10 June. She says they will continue the fight against the auction.

“The importance of the whole thing is we are not going to step down because our old people is going nowhere.”

The ANC in Dullah Omar region also joined the opposition to Communicare’s auction. The ANC’s Akhona Jonginamba noted that it had launched an investigation into Communicare’s property dealings.

“We wholeheartedly welcome the government’s decision to initiate a forensic investigation into the acquisition of all Communicare properties, both prior to and after 1994.”

Jonginamba claims the Communicare’s CEO, Anthea Houston, has been ordered to halt all eviction activities and provide profiles of non-paying tenants to the Provincial Department and the City of Cape Town.

“These measures are essential in safeguarding the rights and interests of our community members.”

Furthermore, Barends noted that residents had approached the City of Cape Town for intervention. But the City’s Aiden Karl van den Heever says “it does not have immediate plans for social housing accommodation in Ruyterwacht and Bishop Lavis.”

Communicare’s response

In contrast with residents’ claims that an interdict was granted, Communicare claims it has not received any notice of it.

“We are aware of media reports of an interdict being issued to stop the auction, however, we and the auctioneers were not served any notice of such an application to court, nor were we or the auctioneers served with any such court order,” says Houston.

Houston explained that maintaining the Huis Alleyne Yeld homes in Bishop Lavis and Ruyterwacht is financially unsustainable. Many elderly tenants have not paid rent for years, impacting the company.

“We understand the concern in the community around our decision to sell certain properties. The concern for housing the elderly is noble, and this is actually why we had provided rental apartments for older people over the years. Even though this was never Communicare’s core purpose. We can no longer sustain the low-low rentals, as this does not cover the cost of running the properties.”