Evicted student: All I could save was my backpack and ID

“The police said I had 10 minutes to get my stuff, but when I ran inside I didn’t know what to take. While I was inside, I heard police shooting and I just grabbed by bag that had my ID in it and ran out,” she said.

Mbayi, a student at Northlink College, was speaking at the last day of the community hearings at Lwandle Community Hall. Next week, SAPS will make submissions in the Goodhope Sub-council Building in Cape Town CBD.

Mbayi told inquiry members she was still not clear on the whereabouts of the property removed from her home during the eviction.

“When they demolished the structures, some of my property like my cupboard was still inside. My other things were loaded onto a truck and I still don’t know where it is or if I will get it back,” she said.

Mbayi said she had been living alone in a shack on the land belonging to SANRAL.

“I moved onto the land in December last year and I was living there alone. I used to stay in a backyard shack in Zola with my sister and her family. There were too many people living there, so I had to move out,” she said.

After recalling the chaotic events that transpired during the evictions, Mbayi said she would not have erected her structure if there was proper signage on the land.

“If there were notice boards to say that it was private land or a no dumping area, then maybe we would not have occupied the land. After February, I knew I was going back at my own risk,” she said.

When inquiry members questioned her on what input she would want from government and also what she would do, Mbayi said, “The government can help me get back my property that was taken away. After this, I will get a job, but it is a very difficult question to answer.”

In her statement to the inquiry, Mbayi said she believed she was on the housing list because of Ses’khona.

However, when questioned on this, she said the assumption was made after the evictions occurred.

Another resident, 36-year-old single mother of four, Veronica Lujabe, broke into tears as she told the inquiry how bad she felt because her children were forced to wear the same school uniform for a week.

“All our things were destroyed. When my daughter came from high school that day, all she had on was her uniform and that was all she could wear for a whole week. It was a painful experience. Even today, I can still picture exactly what happened. I kept asking myself who would do something like this to people? Will they bring back our property or pay for the things we lost?”

The touching story of Lujabe and her children was featured on GroundUp a few days after the evictions.

Proceedings continue in the CBD on 8 August.

The caption on the photo of this article incorrectly identified Sisanda Conway as Veronica Lujabe. It has been corrected. We apologise for the error.