The situation at the airfield has been problematic for several years as the movement of cars, pedestrians and animals across the runway caused such a serious risk to landing aircraft that many pilots opted to relocate to the airfield in Bela-Bela. The Nylstroom Vliegklub undertook the upkeep of the airfield and was subsidised by members’ contributions. The airfield was operated privately.
The growing informal settlement in Phagameng has steadily crept closer and closer to the airfield until people started building houses within the airfield’s area last year. According to Phagameng residents Die Pos spoke to, politics played a role in this move as people were encouraged to set up their houses in the area. “We are once again in an election year and politicians are going to try and cause upset to win votes,” the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, alleged.
Mayor Sechele Sebolai stated last year that the municipality will not allow people to illegally occupy the land.
“Informal settlements that pop up like this have a negative bearing on us. The residents will need services and we already have a backlog on delivering services to existing developments. This causes unnecessary tension between the municipality and the squatters,” he told Die Pos last year.
He was concerned that those who set up houses were not homeless, but were doing it for their own benefit as they offered the houses for people to rent. According to other councillors, Sebolai repeated at several meetings, the municipality’s commitment to remove those who illegally occupy land.
The same situation occurred in 2017 when squatters set up houses across the R101 road next to Extension 10 and the dumping site. A court order was granted but not enforced. The neighbourhood expanded and now has no municipal services as it was not planned for.
Johan Prinsloo, a Freedom Front Plus councillor, said that he and fellow councillor Neels Pretorius are relieved that the matter was attended to. The court order stated that the squatters should be removed by 30 November 2023.
“We were very concerned when it did not happen during that time frame,” he said. According to Pretorius they received calls from concerned landowners (black and white) whose farms are adjacent to the airfield. “They said their fences are constantly looted and perpetrators are stripping trees for fuel. They are concerned about their safety as there is an increase of trespassing incidents.”
Die Pos has reached out to the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality regarding the matter but received no response by the time of going to press.
