EKURHULENI Metro has cautioned communities against illegal land invasions, warning that perpetrators will face eviction, and even possible arrest.
This includes the illegal buying and occupation of municipal land.
The warning follows recent incident of residents illegally occupying municipal land in Tembisa and Tsakane.
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Residents of Madelukufa informal settlement in Tembisa attempted to illegally occupy municipal land situated between Birchleigh and Birchleigh North.
The metro 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; as is the intention with the land in Birchleigh, which is earmarked for housing development.
Acting Ekurhuleni spokesperson Lebogang Ramashala emphasised that not only is land grabbing without proper approval illegal, but it also poses life-threatening risks because most land within Ekurhuleni is either dolomitic, lies on the flood line or over old mines, is waterlocked or is not in line with the metro’s urban development plan.
“Fighting the scourge of land invasions requires 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,” appeals Ramashala.
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.
The DA has accused the Gauteng government of failing to provide adequate housing for the poor, leading to the recent spate of illegal land invasions.
Mervyn Cirota, MPL and DA Gauteng spokesperson for Human Settlements, said communities were now taking matters into their own hands and no longer waiting for government “to do its job”.
“To date, Gauteng human settlements MEC Jacob Mamabolo has not provided a solution to the problem and despite continuous red flags raised by residents, has failed to acknowledge or understand communities’ plight,” Cirota said.
“The MEC’s actions continue to be reactive threatening apartheid-style forced removals – only increasing tensions.”
Cirota stressed that unless government re-evaluated its strategy in dealing with housing provision and allocation, as well as the 700 000 unit backlog in Gauteng, protests are likely to continue.
