RESIDENTS of Georgehill, Lacey and Matlock Road informal settlements discovered two human skulls on a piece of vacant municipal land in Locksley and Loon Roads which they attempted to invade on Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 February.
The grisly discovery has reinforced the community’s belief that more bodies are to be found on the land and say one of the reasons they want to erect shacks on the property is to protect it from being used as a dumping ground for dead bodies.
In September last year, a skeleton was also discovered by people attempting to erect shacks on the property.
Community leader, Bab Dlulisa explained: “On Saturday we found a skull, and again on Sunday we found another one. How long are we going to continue finding skulls there. They must allow us to build there and also look after that land. Some of us have family members who have disappeared mysteriously and now we are discovering these skulls. Are they concerned that we are finding evidence, that might implicate them in what they are doing to our people. We are constantly living under fear and being intimidated by the police. If they think we are going to stop erecting shacks there, they are joking.”
ALSO READ: Durban mayor condemns land invasion
On Saturday evening the community held a mass meeting at the park opposite the Georgehill informal settlement with ward Councillor Chris Pappas to discuss land invasion and the way forward. Pappas said the biggest concern for the communities was overcrowding.
“People are building on top of each other, crime syndicates are operating in these areas and nothing is being done,” he said.
“This vacant land has not been used for many years and people are frustrated that the municipality does not allocate the land or earmark it for development. Instead, the land remains vacant.
“Four years ago six bodies were found on the property and none of the police investigations were ever closed. So as it sits, it is a dumping ground for bodies. Residents are saying there are more bodies there,” he said.
Ward 30 councillor Warren Burn, whose ward the land extends into, confirmed that it was not uncommon for bodies to be discovered on the land.
“Last year, over a period of just seven months 41 bodies were discovered. We need to allocate more resources to the Police, the problems that we have, we are not going to be able to solve now.”
Sydenham Station Commander, Colonel De Villiers said it was too soon to comment on the cause of death and identity of the skulls which had been found. “An inquest is being investigated. The previous inquest is awaiting relevant documentation from the pathologist,” he said.
ALSO READ: Durban City secures court order against land grabbers
eThekwini Municipality has condemned land invasions that are taking place across the city. On Friday the Durban High Court granted the municiaplity an order compelling land invaders to make representations to the court why it should not grant an order evicting them from municipal land occupied illegally. According to the order, the community needs to be notified first and they have been given until Friday to vacate municipal land, failure of which could result to eviction.
EThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede, welcomed the decision of the court and appealed to all residents to refrain from invading land. “We are a caring city but under no circumstances shall we allow laws to be undermined in broad day light. It is our responsibility as the City to also protect our residents that may be on the receiving end of this illicit behaviour. Yes, we do admit that our people need land, more especially in urban areas with a hope of getting employment opportunities, but that does not justify land grabs. We are now moving to a stage where we are going to ensure that those invading land are prosecuted and locked up. This dents the image of our City and it has to stop,” she said.
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