Tyres, rubbish and bins were burnt in Military Road, which was cordoned off for a few hours.
Residents at the low-cost social housing scheme privately run by Sohco Property Investment say they could no longer keep up with “steep” rental increases, which in the case of some pensioners went up from R850 in 2010 to R3 500 last year.
Residents say they are also liable for upkeep and have to pay R100 for a new bulb or doorknob, and R350 for a new window.
However, Sohco CEO Heather Maxwell, says those being evicted have not been paying their rent at all.
“During March 2016 a small group of tenants stopped paying rent. After attempts to resolve the situation were unsuccessful, Sohco initiated eviction proceedings in court during 2016, with eviction orders eventually being granted in March 2017 and May 2017.
“We had 22 evictions planned by the Sheriff of the Court on Monday. The tenants being evicted haven’t paid rent for over 12 months.
“In response to a disturbance on site, the evictions have been postponed to a later date,” Maxwell said.
But chairperson for the Steen Villa Social Housing Action Group, Beryl Schouw, says: “These are lies. People are paying their rent. I know of a woman who fell behind once, tried to make arrangements with management and they refused to see her. The court did not hear anyone’s case.
“People cannot get out of arrears because every month R1 000 gets added for monthly ‘commission fees’. These people defraud the poor,” Schouw said.