EFF backs land occupation on Dann Road
A representative of the owners said even after offering each of them R10 000 to help with relocating, the squatters refused
“LAND occupation: done. Providing them with toilets: done. Providing clean water: done. Marikana in Glan Marrais [sic] is our home.”
This tweet by Mampuru Mampuru, the leader of the EFF in Ekurhuleni, on October 4, confirmed the EFF’s support of the current land occupation on Dann Road in Glen Marais.
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When EXPRESS spoke to Mampuru Mampuru last week, he confirmed his party was backing the squatters.
“It is true. We are responsible and we will continue to occupy each and every piece of land we come across in Gauteng, in Ekurhuleni, even if it means places which are predominantly white.
“Black people do not grab land, they are occupying their own land. For starters, the whole country belongs to us and we are the rightful owners of every piece of land in South Africa,” Mampuru said.
He said it was unfair for black people to not have accommodation while there was vacant land available.
“Our people have identified a piece of land they like and we said to them that they could take it, it is for them. This is because by birth, they have a right to occupy any piece of land they find.”
Mampuru added that they provided the squatters with toilets as they had a right to basic services. “We are in the process of pushing the municipality to give them electricity.”
It has been over a year since the owners of the vacant land on Dann Road were forced to put their housing development on hold as the property is being contested.
The property owners said they pleaded with the squatters who have been on the vacant stand for close to a decade to relocate, but all their efforts were in vain.
A representative of the owners, who did not wish to be named, said even after offering each of them R10 000 to help with the relocation, the squatters refused.
Some of the squatters told EXPRESS they had no jobs and could not afford to move. Others said they earned a meagre income through recycling.
Land occupation: done.
— Mampuru M Mampuru (@Mampuru_Mampuru) October 4, 2017
Providing them with toilets: done.
Providing clean water: done.
Marikana in Glan Marrais is our home pic.twitter.com/aEY6a3FEnv
The owners said there are now “troublemakers” using the squatters to help them grab the land. The landowners have pinned their hopes on the High Court and the process is underway.
The landowner representative said when they discovered there were squatters on the property, they had to be compassionate.
“We said to them that we understood their situation and we would take that into consideration. We said, please let us work together. We asked them to prevent other people from moving in, so we could come and clean up and start with the developments.”
There were only five shacks on the property at the time.
The owners said they realised a “sinister element” had entered the equation, because the squatters showed a sudden change in attitude. “We realised that somebody clever was feeding them information.”
