‘This Was Our Last Money’: Destruction and Despair as Eskom Demolishes Homes in Thornville

The dust rose in thick clouds over Thornville, settling on the ruins of what were once homes. Within minutes, structures that had taken months to build, families had poured their life savings into, and children had grown up in, were reduced to rubble. On Thursday, Eskom executed a court-ordered eviction to demolish hundreds of homes illegally built on its land outside Pietermaritzburg, leaving a community in shock and despair.

One police officer, clutching his three-week-old baby, pleaded with the Red Ant Security Relocation & Eviction Services officers to spare his houses. They demolished three of them. They left only the rondavel where the baby was sleeping.

“I have a one-week-old baby inside the house, and we don’t know where to go for shelter with this baby,” his wife said, her voice breaking.

The Cost of a Dream

For many residents, these homes represented everything. A 46-year-old mother of three lost an eight-room house and a rondavel she had built after spending R650,000. She had bought the land from a seller for R60,000, trusting the claim that the property belonged to the seller through a land claim.

“This money was from my savings, while the other one was a personal loan,” she said. “I have no prospect of finding more money to build another house elsewhere.”

She was at work when her children phoned to tell her what was happening. Her two children were expected to return from Thornville Primary School to find their home gone.

Residents spent between R15,000 and R60,000 to buy plots from sellers who claimed ownership of the Eskom property. They then invested up to R1 million building structures and completing interiors. One resident watched helplessly as his house, which took him six months to build, was reduced to rubble in less than three minutes.

The Court Order

Eskom’s subsidiary, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), obtained a court order from the Pietermaritzburg High Court in July 2025 to demolish the homes built on its land next to a power station. The order instructed the illegal land occupants to dismantle their homes within 48 hours of receiving it.

On August 29, 2025, the court order, in both English and isiZulu, was served. Should the residents fail to comply, the sheriff was instructed to carry out the eviction. Late last year, residents feared they would spend Christmas homeless when the sheriff attempted to move them on November 11. Eskom and the sheriff backed off to finalize preparations.

On Thursday morning, the operation resumed with full force. Eskom workers moved in accompanied by huge trucks, heavily armed police, and Red Ant officers. Men in overalls dismantled zinc shacks and loaded debris and household appliances into trucks.

The Confusion and Desperation

Many residents claimed they had no knowledge of the court order. A police officer’s wife said Eskom had caught them off guard.

“We don’t know anything about the court order, and had we known, we were not going to spend our last money building this home,” she said.

A 46-year-old mother said she was also not warned about the eviction. “They are not telling us when they give us three months’ notice to allow us a chance to move out because as they are coming here now, we are not aware, and we have not even moved our things.”

Some residents tried to block the excavator, but they were outnumbered by police and Red Ant officers. As the first house went down around 9 am, dust filled the air.

The Official Response

A community leader, who declined to be named, said residents should have been given 30 days to vacate before demolition began. “There were discussions with Eskom, who said it was still going to check who occupied its land. But Eskom had abused its power by destroying people’s homes. Right now, we are going to court because we want Eskom to rebuild all these houses.”

A Richmond Municipality official, speaking on condition of anonymity, disputed the residents’ claims. “The residents were warned not to continue building houses on Eskom’s land. But they continued despite having been shown an eviction order, and we held numerous meetings where they were verbally warned.”

Local councillor Vincent Maphumulo said he was too busy to comment.

Eskom’s Position

The NTCSA issued a statement expressing regret for the circumstances but defending the action.

“Despite repeated efforts to resolve the matter amicably, the NTCSA was ultimately left with no choice but to act in accordance with the law and the final court orders issued by the Pietermaritzburg High Court,” the statement read.

“Unauthorised occupation not only poses significant public safety risks, but also delays implementation of the Transmission Development Plan (TDP), which is essential for strengthening the country’s power supply. This unlawful occupation is one of several challenges that the NTCSA faces in fulfilling its mandate to expand and secure the national grid.”

The Aftermath

As the dust settled on Thursday evening, hundreds of families faced an uncertain future. Many had spent their savings on homes they no longer have. Some had taken personal loans they now have no way to repay. Children returned from school to find their homes gone.

For one police officer, his three houses were reduced to rubble. The only structure spared was the rondavel where his three-week-old baby was sleeping.

“We don’t know where to go for shelter,” his wife said. Her words echoed the despair of a community left with nothing but questions. The search for answers will now move to the courts, where residents hope to hold Eskom accountable. But for now, the ruins of Thornville stand as a stark reminder of the human cost when legal rights and desperate circumstances collide.