Ten-year Centurion land dispute drags on as eviction deadline lapses

Unlawful occupants remain on municipal land beside the Centurion taxi rank despite a final eviction order from the Pretoria High Court and a 30-day deadline to vacate, Rekord (The Citizen) reports.

Court order and missed deadline

The court granted a final eviction order on 29 June after the metro brought an unopposed application, and occupants were given 30 days to vacate. That deadline expired at the end of July, but almost a month later the people remain on the property, Rekord (The Citizen) says.

Councillor voices frustration

Ward 78 Councillor Peter Sutton told Rekord he is frustrated by the Tshwane Metro’s failure to execute the eviction after years of efforts to resolve the matter. He said the municipality had indicated there was a delay in preparing the site intended for relocated occupants.

Sutton said:

“However, no official meeting has been scheduled where I was involved to discuss the plan and the project timelines.”

He added the metro had not provided him with a timeline for the eviction and that he had only been told the city was preparing an eviction plan. Sutton said:

“I do not engage with the occupants directly, as the matter has reached a point where the city must now execute the eviction. I have not noticed, nor have I been informed of, any decrease in the number of people living on the site. I doubt that anyone has voluntarily vacated.”

Sutton described the delay as particularly disappointing given the matter has been ongoing for 10 years, and he said clearing the land was important to unlocking development and improving the broader Centurion central business district.

Relocation plan and project context

Rekord (The Citizen) reports the city had previously indicated that qualifying occupants would be provided with temporary accommodation as part of a relocation process after eviction. With the deadline passed and occupants still on site, the metro has not provided an update on when relocation or the eviction will take place.

The land forms part of the broader African Gateway Precinct development footprint and was identified by the metro as an area to be secured by the project implementer once the eviction process was finalised and the property lawfully vacated, Rekord (The Citizen) says.

Municipal response and next steps

Rekord (The Citizen) reached out to the metro for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Rekord (The Citizen) encouraged readers with further information to email [email protected] or phone 083 625 4114.

About the reporting

According to Rekord (The Citizen), Tshiamo is a junior journalist focusing on community news in Pretoria and writes for the Centurion Rekord and Rekord’s online platforms. Rekord (The Citizen) says it was established in 1986 and publishes nine weekly titles, including Rekord Centurion. Rekord (The Citizen) also states:

“At Caxton, every story is written by humans. We use AI only to perform quality checks – never to generate the news.”