The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

AN elderly woman who collected rent for more than a decade from shanty town residents said she did not see a problem with the illegal homes in the area where she lived.

Cynthia Mitchell, admitted to reporters yesterday that were it not for the government’s crack down on illegal housing villages, the scores of residents at the Carmichael Road-west site would have still been inhabiting the property. She has been living there since the 1950s, Ms Mitchell said.

When The Tribune visited the area, only a few structures were still standing, including a wooden shack surrounded by several trees  in which Ms Mitchell said she lived.

There were also other homes with orange extension cords running between them. However, another man who did not want to be identified, told this newspaper that the illegal homes were not on Ms Mitchell’s property.

“I live here from I was a child,” she said, “I been here from the 50s. I was seven years old then. My mother leave me here.

“The government say they had to move so I had to go along with the government. I used to collect something from one house over there, (but the last time I received anything from them) was about a year ago now.”

However, getting the land completely cleared was challenging, Ms Mitchell explained.

“Well I had problems. We had to break them down (but) because the people didn’t want to break them down, the boys them had to help and break them down. (The boys) volunteer and they help me.”

When asked if she knew that it was illegal to allow the shanty town, in its poor condition to exist for so long, Ms Mitchell replied: “Well I mean it was all right, but now that the government say they gotta go. They gotta come down.”

Now that demolition is complete, Ms Mitchell told reporters that she hopes to receive help in building a new home, where the shanty town once existed.