Evictions begin on Howell Road
Hundreds of residents from Howell Road in Durban's Sydenham area face eviction from their homes today.
Community members say the red ants, police and other law enforcement agencies are in the area.
Resident, Roxanne Smith has told Newswatch that home-owners are frightened.
"People are very scared and they have left with their kids. The Red Ants are here with rubber bullets, and guns loaded, they have geared up and there are two police units. The roads are barricaded," she says.
ALSO READ: Howell Road residents oppose evictions, refuse to pay rent
Riot police surround the homes of residents in the Howell road community, as they continue evictions in Sydenham #KZN pic.twitter.com/baE7kaZKV8
— Jarryd Subroyen (@Jazz_Subs031) August 22, 2017
Chairperson of the Howell Road Residents Committee, Popo Zungu says police are on the scene with weapons so they've decided to surrender out of fear.
"I've tried to phone the mayor, and other officials. They are busy trying to proceed with the evictions. [Police] are moving all the stones we have closed the road with. We can't fight them," he says.
More than 150 people were given eviction notices earlier this month. They claim they are being forced to pay rent for RDP housing. The First Metro Housing company's website says the type of housing tenure at Howell Road is purely rental.
For more on this and other developing stories, here's your latest Newswatch bulletin.