Metro warns against land grabbing
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) wishes to caution members of the community against buying and illegally occupying municipal land, as they will face prospects of being evicted and/or arrested.
This comes in the wake of recent and ongoing land invasions in Ekurhuleni, specifically in Tembisa and Tsakane, where community members forcefully and illegally occupied land belonging to the council.
The EMM is obliged to protect and preserve land, with the purpose of utilising it for future developments, such as housing, businesses, churches, sporting facilities, roads and agricultural projects.
The illegal occupation of vacant land without proper approval from the municipality poses life-threatening risks, as most land within Ekurhuleni is either dolomitic, lies on the flood line or over old mines, is waterlocked or not in line with the metro’s urban development plan.
“Fighting the scourge of land invasions requires the joint participation of all stakeholders, and members of the public are encouraged to contact the local authority when they detect people invading council-owned land,” said Lebogang Ramashala, Ekurhuleni spokesperson.
Members of the public are urged to contact Ekurhuleni Customer Care Centres or phone the Ekurhuleni Services Call Centre on 0860 543 000, to report land invasion.
