KwaThema pensioners relied on renting out rooms, shops or business spaces to supplement their SASSA pensions
- Pensioners in KwaThema say they have lost much-needed rental income after vigilantes forced their immigrant tenants to leave under threat of "fines" and arson.
- Elderly landlords Joseph Phakathi and Gogo Nomasonto say their R2,400 SASSA pensions are not enough to cover basic household expenses and they need the rental income.
- Police say only law enforcement may check immigration documents and urged residents facing intimidation to report cases.
Pensioners in KwaThema in Springs, Gauteng, say they are struggling to make ends meet after vigilante groups forced their immigrant tenants out, cutting off the rental income they relied on to supplement their old-age SASSA grants.
For 69-year-old pensioner Joseph Phakathi, renting out backyard business spaces had been his main source of income for more than a decade. When he became eligible for the older person's grant of R2,400 a month, the pension became an additional source of income.
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He rented three backyard business spaces to Mozambican nationals. Together, they paid him R2,300 a month in rent.
Another Mozambican man, who ran a chicken braai stand nearby, paid R300 a month to store his equipment overnight in one of Phakathi's shacks.
On 29 June, a day before the "deadline" set by anti-immigration organisations for all undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa, Phakathi said a group of vigilantes came to his home. He said they ordered him to "evict his tenants" or "face a R10,000 fine" or "have his house burnt down".
Fearing the threats, the tenants packed up and left.
"It was my bread and butter. I wanted the Mozambicans to stay, but where would I get R10,000 to pay the fine, and what if they burnt my house down?" said Phakathi.
He said he later watched neighbours' homes being targeted after they refused to send immigrant tenants away.
One of his former tenants recently phoned from Mozambique asking whether it was safe to return. "I told him not to come back yet," said Phakathi.
Another pensioner, Gogo Nomasonto, 71, said she had relied on rental income from four rooms and a shack, where one of her Mozambican tenants ran an amagwinya business. Together, her tenants paid her about R2,500 a month.
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Like Phakathi, she receives a R2,400 older person's grant. She lives with seven grandchildren. While five receive child support grants of R580 each, she said the money is quickly spent on school-related expenses, leaving her responsible for meeting all of the household's other needs.
Before 30 June, she said vigilantes visited her home and demanded that all immigrant tenants leave. She said she pleaded with them, explaining that she depended on the rental income. They told her she must then pay a R10,000 fine.
One of her tenants fled with her two children and hid in a cemetery for several days before moving in with relatives in Langaville.
"My old age pension is not enough. I am hungry as we speak. This vigilantism should stop because I want my tenants to come back," she said.
Residents told GroundUp that announcements calling for immigrants to leave the community were made during community meetings and circulated on WhatsApp groups.
SAPS regional spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said only law enforcement officers are authorised to check people's documentation, and anyone impersonating a law enforcement officer will face consequences.
She urged residents who are being threatened or intimidated to open criminal cases with the police.
Ward councillor Thulani Simelane said no incidents had been reported to him. However, he planned to invite Home Affairs and immigration officials to the area to educate residents about immigration laws.
