Costly "compassion training" doesn't seem to be working on the infamous eviction crew, who are seen to have little regard for people or possessions.

The Red Ants evict residents of Castle Blaney, near Hillbrow in the Johannesburg central business district, on a cold Monday morning. (Oupa Nkosi, M&G)

Four trucks full of Red Ants so named because of their red overalls are parked outside the Hillbrow magistrates court. I asked them where they were going, but they couldnt, or wouldnt tell me.

The trucks set off and I follow them on foot, easily keeping pace. They pull up outside a block of flats Castle Blaney, just next to Park Station and the Red Ants jump out, forming a line outside the nine-storey building.

Its still early, and a cold morning. The residents are gripped with panic. They begin throwing their possessions: furniture, televisions, beds, mattresses, kettles and microwaves from the windows on to Leyds Street below.

Others throw black plastic bags of clothes from the balconies, which quickly pile up. There are loud whistles, and pedestrians scatter as possessions rain down. One man drops two bottles of whisky from his fourth-floor window; they land on a mattress.

From the fourth floor a burly man slowly opens his worn curtain. He looks down on the street, littered with belongings. The guards shout: Phuma wena! Phuma wena! [Move out!]

The man lets the curtain fall and moves away from the window.

Wall of Ants The Red Ants, armed with crowbars, wooden sticks and rifles, form a wall in front of the entrance. They appear to be giving the residents a chance to gather their possessions before they enter the building.

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Jo'burg residents battle Red Ant evictions