EFF tries legal action against ward councillor to protect Dann Road squatters
Mampane said things turned sour as Terblanche was agitated and asked them to leave his office
THE EFF’s application for a restraining order against Ward 16 councillor Jaco Terblanche was not granted by the court.
Two other cases brought by the EFF on behalf of the squatters on Dann Road also failed, according to EFF chairperson for Ward 16 Isaac Mampane.
One case was for malicious damage to property, following the apparent demolition of shacks by the landowners in attempts to evict the squatters. The second case was for bribery. The EFF claimed the R10 000 offered by the landowners to help squatters move was a bribe.
Speaking to Kempton EXPRESS on Monday last week, Mampane said Kempton Magistrate’s Court dismissed the application for a restraining order against Terblanche, citing it was a civil matter.
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• BREAKING NEWS: Negotiations underway with Dann Road squatters
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• Inside the Dann Road squatter camp
Mampane said the two other cases failed because the police were reluctant to handle them.
He said the application for a restraining order against Terblanche followed certain incidents that unfolded after he [Terblanche] visited the squatter camp.
“After Terblanche’s first visit, a gentleman came here, with people, and burned their belongings,” Mampane said.
He claims the man also burned other structures on the property in 2016.
Among those who witnessed the alleged incident was Valencia Mogotsi (27), a squatter on the property, who told EXPRESS she had been threatened by this man.
“As they were burning our things, they tried dousing me in petrol, but I managed to duck in time,” Mogotsi claimed.
Mampane said: “We arranged a meeting with Jaco Terblanche and told him about what the man and his people had done.
“We told him we believed he must have had some influence over the situation. We said it could not just happen that right after he visited the area, the man came with his people to burn our people’s belongings.”
Mampane said he told Terblanche in a meeting that he was held in high regard by the community, being the first citizen of the ward.
“He certainly must have had a hand in it,” Mampane said.
Mampane said the burning incident negatively affected the squatters, as they would be deprived of employment opportunities with IDs.
“We are determined to help those who had lost their ID books in the fire.”
“We wanted to work with Terblanche to resolve the entire issue of IDs”
Mampane said things turned sour as Terblanche was agitated and asked them to leave his office.
“Terblanche said we were falsely accusing him of the things happening at the squatter camp.
“We said to him the problem was that he went to the squatter camp as an official, and right after his visit, the man came to harass the people. We then left his office.”
Mampane alleged the second incident happened on October 14, where Terblanche was seen while one of the owners was demolishing newly erected structures on the property. He said this was evidence that Terblanche was engaging with the situation directly and that was what had prompted the legal action.
He said several attempts were made to try to remedy the situation with Terblanche and the landowners but all efforts were fruitless.
Mampane said nearby property owners better get used to the squatters as their neighbours, because they have nowhere else to go. He said thus far, the EFF had managed to provide people with running water and toilets.
Clr Phillip de Lange, DA Leader in Ekurhuleni, said: “The DA is a party of law, and Clr Terblanche is the ward councillor for the area. As such, he has a responsibility to the community he serves to protect and uphold the Constitution.
“Land ownership is enshrined in the Constitution and Clr Terblanche was alerted by the owner of the land in question that squatters had illegally occupied the land.
“As it is privately owned land, Clr Terblanche informed the metro police, who acted within their mandate to remove the people. The City of Ekurhuleni is responsible for adequate housing for citizens as enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.
De Lange said people were growing despondent by the lack of adequate housing and empty promises by the governing party which continually fails to deliver on their promises of housing.
“As the DA, we believe in the rule of law and believe the government needs to do more to deliver change to our people,” De Lange added.
Capt Jethro Mtshali, spokesperson for Kempton SAPS, said no citizen should be denied opening a case against anyone.
“Police are not dealing with civil matters but their role in any event of eviction is to monitor and ensure that no property or person is harmed,” he added.
A public meeting about the Dann Road land invasion will be held at the VET Church on Glenavon Road in Aston Manor on Saturday at 1pm.
