KZN Farm owner who housed xenophobia victims hopeful to return home
The Cato Ridge family who opened their home to around 143 displaced foreign nationals, including children, are hopeful they will be able to return to their farm soon
Farm owner, Andrew Wartnaby, says his wife and 8 children are living in a place of safety while they try and evict the remaining foreign nationals. He says they will return when it is safe to do so. The foreign nationals were left without homes after xenophobic attacks in Durban last year.
Wartnaby says one foreign national remains at the farm after others were arrested for allegedly attacking a helper and damaging property.
He is hopeful an eviction notice filed at the Pietermaritzburg High Court will help resolve the issue.
"That case has been adjourned at the moment but we are hoping that we will be able to proceed with that and we are really hoping that soon we will be able to go back to our home," he said.
"From what I understand there were some problems with our paperwork, the last time we checked, but the eviction will happen. The refugees managed to get representation of legal services so they are claiming they have a right to stay there," Wartnaby.
(File photo)