July 6, 2004
By Thomas Thale
COUNCILLORS from the City of Johannesburg made a spirited attempt to defuse tension to the troubled township of Diepsloot on Tuesday, where residents have been engaged in running battles with the police since Monday.
Some 38 councillors descended on Diepsloot, in the north of Johannesburg, and addressed a public meeting to assure residents there was no plan to relocate them to Brits.
"There is no plan to remove people. No such action can be taken without a council resolution," said councillor Strike Ralegoma, a mayoral committee member responsible for housing.
Residents of the sprawling informal settlement took to the streets on Monday, torching two council buildings, in protest against a rumoured relocation to Brits, some 60km away.
Most of the residents fearing eviction were removed from the banks of the Jukskei River in Alexandra when it flooded in 2001.
On Tuesday, Gauteng MEC for housing, Nomvula Mokonyane, issued a statement distancing the provincial government from the alleged removals. Mokonyane dismissed the allegations as "incorrect and misleading".
"I wish to assure people affected by this fictitious rumour that the Gauteng provincial government and the City of Johannesburg have at no stage contemplated moving Diepsloot residents to Brits," said Mokonyane, pledging that government would not remove people without consultation.
News media reported on Tuesday that 19 residents had been arrested on charges of arson and public violence.
The police have maintained a heavy presence in the area.
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