SIX people were injured in violent clashes on Sunday between land grabbers and the Red Ants in Esselen Park.
The violence erupted on Saturday after the metro police had removed all demarcations for sites, allegedly done on instruction of EFF members, infuriating the illegal land invaders.
According to metro police spokesman, Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago, the Red Ants, who were contracted by the metro’s human settlements department, were there on Sunday to remove the land invaders.
“Apparently, this infuriated the people, leading to an altercation with the Red Ants just before mid-day. In their effort to remove the land invaders, the Red Ants were attacked with an assortment of missiles,” Kgasago explained.
The Red Ants defended themselves and in the ensuing confrontation, six land grabbers were injured. Ambulances were summoned by the police to transport the patients to Tembisa Hospital for medical attention.
Shortly after the upheavals, angry land grabbers made their way to Madelukufa informal settlement in Tembisa where they vandalised the home of ANC ward 8 councillor, Robson Lugongolo.
A witness at the scene tweeted that the councillor’s shack was hit with spades and rocks and that police shot at the crowd to disperse them.
The situation has calmed down but the law enforcers are on high alert in order to respond to any further illegal occupation of the land.
The weekend’s incident came after a week-long persistence from the land grabbers, apparently from Tembisa, who had, since Monday last week, been coming in and out of the area, allocating stands for themselves in the open veld between Birchleigh and Birchleigh North, close to Esselen Park.
On arrival at the scene on Sunday afternoon, EXPRESS found that the clashes had already died down and only the Red Ants and metro police were on site.
Residents of Birchleigh North told EXPRESS people started land grabbing on Monday last week. “These people started marking ‘stands’ where they planned to build their homes (shacks),” a resident explained.
“On Monday morning (last week) the police caught and chased them away while they were allocating stands. But on Monday night at about 9pm they were back and the police again removed them.”
According to the resident, the persistent land grabbers were back again the following day on Tuesday morning, this time carrying shovels and other tools for building.
Residents also said the metro police were seen on Pongolariver Drive and Strydom Street in Birchleigh North, conducting road blocks on Saturday morning, and again on Sunday morning at the other entrance into Esselen Park on Link Road.
The metro police were apparently checking cars for people carrying tools and other building equipment.
Some of the Red Ants said they had been in the area since 3am on Sunday and others said they had slept there overnight.
Spokesman for Tembisa North SAPS, Capt Manyadza Ralidzivha, confirmed that a case of malicious damage to property had been opened. No arrests have been made.
