Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said that no evictions will take place as government attempts to ease congestion in informal settlements.
The Department of Human Settlements is encouraging citizens to move to 27 identified land parcels currently being prepared for resettlement as a result of re-blocking.
However, the move is done on a voluntary basis, Sisulu assured civil society groups concerned about evictions.
“The civil society groups continue to work with government to convey a message to communities that it is in their interest to be moved,” she said during a third meeting with civil society organisations to discuss interventions in densely populated informal settlements.
Her comments follow reports of recent evictions in the Makhaza Informal Settlement in the Western Cape.
“Everyone should adhere to the directive by government that all evictions be suspended during the lockdown period in which the nation is engaged in fighting the spread of Covid-19,” she continued.
Sisulu intends visiting the Western Cape this week to “get to the bottom” of the situation and find a long-lasting solution after receiving “mixed messages” about the evictions.
The Minister further called on municipalities to suspend cutting water supply for the duration of the lockdown, as government has called on citizens to practice hygiene by washing their hands several times a day to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections.
“Apart from the suspensions in evictions, there should be no cutting off of water for any citizen of this country during this period. Instead, all efforts should be focused on fighting the spread of the virus,” Sisulu concluded.