A Mitchells Plain community is threatening to take the law into their own hands after a mother and her children were thrown out of their house by cops.
The mom was accused of trespassing late on Wednesday night when police evicted the family, forcing them to sleep on the pavement.
A court granted the eviction order to a real estate agent who bought the two-bedroom house in Assegaaibos Street in Tafelsig a year ago.
But Anthea Greenslade, 36, claims real estate agent Leslie Dodgen “tricked” her into selling her home, after the bank repossessed her house.
However, Leslie tells the Daily Voice Anthea is the liegbek, and was living in the house rent-free for two years.
On Wednesday night, more than 50 Assegaaibos Street neighbours protested as police removed Anthea and her kids, aged nine and 17, threatening them with arrest.
The desperate community called in Community Safety MEC Dan Plato, who was at the scene.
Anthea says her house was repossessed in 2014 after she fell in arrears with her bond.
She asked Leslie to buy the house on auction, intending to buy it back from the agent.
“Two years ago a family friend introduced me to Leslie who buys and sells houses,” explains Anthea.
“I owed R28 000 to the bank and gave Leslie R18 000.
“She said she was going to buy the house on auction. We tried for my sister to buy the house but it was bought by another person in 2014, then by Leslie in 2015.
“She never gave me a receipt for the R18 000.”
Anthea was served with an eviction notice in August.
Tafelsig community leader Faiza Jacobs says they tried to get a stay in eviction but failed.
“When the Magistrate made the decision to grant their eviction order, we learnt that our application wasn’t even in the case docket,” says Faiza.
“The community is very upset and has threatened to take the law into their own hands.”
Anthea and her two kids are now staying with a neighbour.
Plato says the eviction was an “infringement of children’s rights”.
“I don’t have a problem with a legal eviction order but why did the police come in a contingent at 10pm to a woman and children and leave them destitute?”
Leslie, however, says she is the injured party and spent over R100 000 to try and help Anthea.
She says the house has been put on auction twice.
The first time in 2014, a friend of Anthea’s won the bid.
“The R18 000 went towards that deposit, which was valid for three months,” explains Leslie.
“I told Anthea and her family to come up with the money and pay the bond, but they couldn’t, and so the house went up for auction again.
“I bought the house in 2015, and paid R48 000 towards the bond, and R50 000 for the water and rates which were in arrears.
“I laid a charge of trespassing last month when she refused to move, and nothing was done fraudulently.”
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says correct procedures were followed.
“The landlord had an eviction order that was affected by the Sheriff of the Court,” he confirms.