MEDIA RELEASE
TO: All media
ATTENTION: Editors and journalists
ISSUED: Monday, 29 June 2026
The Executive Mayor of Mogale City Local Municipality, Councillor Lucky Sele, today led a high-level government delegation to address the plight of 96 residents from 68 households who were forcibly removed on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, from Portion 1 and Portion 2 of Plot 181, Honingklip.
The Executive Mayor was joined by the Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, in a direct engagement with the affected community, who have since been encamped along the N14 near Pinehaven after rejecting the municipality’s initial relocation proposal.
Context of the Displacement
The evictees — a significant number of whom are registered beneficiaries of government-subsidised housing programmes — have steadfastly refused relocation to the temporary accommodation facility at Kromdraai, instead demanding placement at Plot 11, citing its proximity to their places of employment and the preservation of their economic livelihoods. To date, only two adult males have accepted relocation to the Kromdraai facility, whom the municipality duly assisted with the transportation of their personal effects.
Immediate Humanitarian Response
Recognising the urgency of the situation and the constitutional obligation of the state to protect the dignity of all persons, the municipality activated its Disaster Management apparatus in concert with the provincial Disaster Management Centre. Through these coordinated efforts, our Disaster Response Team successfully mobilised critical relief supplies from the Gift of the Givers, a valued partner in humanitarian relief, including:
- 70 Streetwise 2 meals (KFC)
- 70 blankets
- 70 hygiene packs
- 80 diapers
- 10 boxes of baby wet wipes
- 70 sleeping mats
- 70 x 5-litre bottled water
The municipality further extends its profound gratitude to the numerous Good Samaritans and community-based organisations who independently augmented these relief efforts, affirming the enduring spirit of ubuntu and social solidarity that defines our nation.
Intergovernmental Breakthrough and Way Forward
Following intensive high-level consultations with the Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, the Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, MEC Diale-Tlabela, and critically, the MEC for Human Settlements, Tasneem Motara, government has resolved to house the affected families temporarily at Plot 11 — the very site the community had petitioned for.
The Executive Mayor outlined the comprehensive intervention package as follows:
- Temporary Shelter: Emergency shelter infrastructure will be erected and remain operational for a minimum of one month, ensuring dignified accommodation during this transitional period.
- Asset Protection: All furniture and household valuables will be safely stored at a secure government facility, safeguarding residents’ possessions against loss or damage.
- Housing Profiling and Allocation: The profiling of all affected families will continue with urgency. Those who meet the qualifying criteria and are registered on the housing demand database will be prioritised for allocation across housing projects within Mogale City and the broader Gauteng region.
- Tenant Assistance: Former tenants of Plot 181 will likewise be profiled and assisted in accordance with verified data submitted to government, provided they have not already been allocated housing through existing city or provincial programmes.
- Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA) Funding: The National Department of Human Settlements has committed to financing the residence of qualifying families through the TEA facility, demonstrating the state’s unwavering commitment to the housing rights of the most vulnerable.
Community Cooperation and Land Stewardship
The municipality calls upon the affected community to cooperate fully in safeguarding Plot 11, which remains a strategic provincial human settlements site currently undergoing servicing for future development. The preservation of this land in good condition is non-negotiable.
“It must be underscored that Plot 11 constitutes one of the province’s priority human settlements development sites, presently being prepared for formal housing delivery. It is therefore imperative that the community treats this land with the utmost care and responsibility, ensuring its integrity is maintained for the broader public good,” stated Executive Mayor Sele.
MEC Diale-Tlabela expressed her appreciation for the community’s cooperation to date and emphasised the critical importance of maintaining strict occupancy controls. She urged residents to ensure that no unauthorised persons are brought into the temporary settlement, thereby preserving the integrity of the intervention and preventing the infiltration of opportunistic elements.
Healthcare Intervention
The Executive Mayor extended his sincere gratitude to the MEC for Health, Faith Mazibuko, for the swift mobilisation of emergency medical services, which resulted in the hospitalisation of one of two critically ill evictees — a heavily pregnant woman. Regrettably, the second critically ill individual, an elderly resident, was denied hospital care due to the refusal of their family to accept the assistance proffered by the state.
Addressing Systemic Concerns and Long-Term Solutions
During the engagement, community members raised serious and legitimate concerns regarding the recurrent pattern of evictions in the Honingklip area, particularly the cynical timing of such actions in the lead-up to local government elections. They further drew attention to the looming threat of mass evictions at the nearby Honeystone farm, where long-term occupiers face imminent displacement.
The Executive Mayor acknowledged these concerns with the seriousness they deserve, confirming that the municipality is acutely aware of this disturbing pattern. In a decisive move to confront these exploitative legal tactics employed by certain landowners, Executive Mayor Sele will convene an urgent bilateral meeting on Monday, 29 June 2026, with the Minister of Human Settlements Simelane and the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso.
This high-level engagement will seek to:
- Dismantle the frivolous and predatory legal mechanisms being weaponised against vulnerable occupiers;
- Forge robust, long-term housing and land tenure solutions for the Honingklip community; and
- Strengthen the legislative and policy framework to prevent the recurrence of such displacement crises.
Conclusion
The Mogale City Local Municipality remains resolutely committed to the principles of humane, dignified, and constitutionally compliant governance. Today’s intervention is not merely a reactive measure, but a deliberate step towards restorative justice and sustainable human settlement for the people of Honingklip. We will neither abandon our people to the indignity of homelessness nor permit the exploitation of the vulnerable for private gain.
Ends.
Issued by Mogale City Communications Division