THE CITY of Ekurhuleni has been ordered to rebuild hundreds of shacks they destroyed - and they have until Wednesday, 17 June!
Judge Stuart Wilson didn't hold back on Friday, 12 June when he slammed the municipality for trampling on people's dignity.
About 570 families who were left homeless when their shacks were demolished at the Chief Albert Luthuli informal settlement, Benoni, can now go back home.
The settlement, also known as the N12 settlement, was flattened in May 2026 by security officers, cops and armed forces, who said they were acting on orders from the municipality.
Judge Wilson didn't mince his words when he gave reasons for his judgment on Sunday, 14 June.
He said the municipality acted "contrary to the Constitution" and showed "callous disregard" for the people's dignity.
The judge even said the city's conduct was "redolent of the apartheid regime" - comparing it to the cruel evictions of the bad old days!
The settlement was started in 2011, after the Constitutional Court ordered Ekurhuleni to provide land and homes for people they had illegally evicted from Bapsfontein.
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The municipality promised permanent homes. But 15 years later, NOTHING has happened!
Instead, the settlement grew from just under 800 shacks in 2011 to nearly 2 000 before it was flattened.
Last month, armed security, police and soldiers swooped in and kicked everyone out. They demolished everything!
The municipality claimed they were looking for illegal miners and said the land was "unfit for human habitation".
But Judge Wilson asked the tough question: Why demolish EVERYTHING if you're just looking for zama zamas?
The South African Human Rights Commission rushed to court to help the homeless families.
Now Judge Wilson has ordered:
- The families can return immediately.
- The municipality must rebuild temporary structures by the end of June.
- No more demolitions until the case is finalised.
- The mayor and city manager must report back to him by 15 July.
What angered Judge Wilson was that the municipality evicted and destroyed the homes of the very same people the Constitutional Court had ordered them to accommodate.
