Shanaaz Dyason, 40, claims that the City of Cape Town is attempting to remove her from the house she has lived in for the past 30 years.
The property, located on Fir Tree Road, originally belonged to her parents, who were forcefully removed by the Apartheid government and relocated to flats in Lavender Hill.
In 1994, the family was permitted to return to their home, and since then, Dyason has resided there with her three children and grandchild.
Dyason has faced ongoing issues regarding the transfer of the house into her name for the past 14 years.
“When my parents got divorced, they both moved out of the house and went their separate ways. My mother and I then went to the rent office, and we explained that I still live in the house. They said the tenancy would be transferred over to me as I was of age,” she explained.
However, in 2010, Dyason received an eviction order, which threatened to send her back to Lavender Hill. The City offered her a one-bedroom flat in Plumstead, but she refused.
Later, she was taken to court, where the judge ruled that she was not illegal and was indeed eligible for the house, instructing the City to sign a lease with her.
“I signed a lease, but a couple of years later, the house is still not in my name. It’s been 14 years, and until today, nothing has been resolved,” Dyason lamented.
As the primary caregiver for her nine-year-old disabled daughter, who has an intellectual disability, Dyason's income relies solely on a care dependency grant of R2700 a month and a SASSA grant for her middle child.
“My water keeps getting cut off, and I have to pay over R3000 just to have it reconnected, which consumes all the SASSA money meant for my children. I am paying R2300 a month for electricity to cover housing debt. Since the lease is not in my name, I cannot sort anything out. Every month, I go to the municipality, and they say the hold-up is with the rent office.”
Desperately, she stated, “I am at my wits' end and don’t know what to do anymore. I have already lost my job because every month I need to stay out to go to the rent office and submit new papers.”
Dyason shared that she was called in again last year to sign a lease and sales papers. “They said they have sent my papers away. It is a constant fight. I suspect there is corruption because I have completed all the required steps, yet they always have excuses.”
In response, Councillor Carl Pophaim, the Mayco Member for Human Settlements, stated, “The City can confirm that no eviction application is underway as alleged.
“The tenancy was allocated to Shanaaz Dyason, and she signed a lease agreement with the City on 21 September 2023. We encourage Mrs Dyason to visit her nearest City housing office to complete all the documentation needed to take ownership of the property.”
Dyason described the response as “strange” and insisted that the rent office is holding her sale papers, stating they cannot process them until there is an area name change from Diep River to Plumstead.
However, the City claims that the property address matter has been resolved and that the resident should visit her housing office as soon as possible.