WATCH: Residents speak out against Dann Road squatter camp

GLEN Marais residents were locked in a robust public meeting on Saturday, demanding to see action being taken on the issue of the Dann Road squatter camp, which has been a thorn in their side since 2012.

The meeting was held at the VET Church on Glenavon Road.

Residents demanded that the owners of the property, which now holds more than 50 shacks, be held accountable. Calls to sue the owners were also heard.

The property owners failed to attend the meeting, much to the disappointment of residents. “Unfortunately, we will not be available for the scheduled meeting time this Saturday,” they said in an email sent to ward councillor Jaco Terblanche.

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• No-show by Dann Road property owners at squatter camp meeting

Residents said they were being affected by the grime and lawlessness associated with the property. “It is very dirty there. Why can’t council handle it as a health risk?” demanded one woman.

Another resident said the squatter camp reflected a clear violation of city by-laws. Residents demanded that the city enforced the by-laws. They said the structures on the property are obviously illegal, as every time one plans to build on a stand, the city requires building plans.

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“Now, building plans surely should have been handed in and approved of before any structure went up on the stand. So, what happened to that?” asked another local property owner.

“I spoke to the owner three years ago and he was rude and told me that anybody could live on his plot. I can’t see why we should support him financially. We have to get a meeting together and sue the owner. Let us sue the owner!” exclaimed another resident.

Residents said what was happening on Dann Road was promoting lawlessness. They felt the matter had been left to drag on for far too long and had now evolved into a political game.

They were also concerned about traffic issues.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) member Fikile Mafuyeka ruffled feathers when he said you could not just evict people without having alternative accommodation for them.

“Before we can even speak about when we are going to do the eviction, do we even have an interest as to where they are going to find accommodation?” asked Mafuyeka.

This was met with strong disapproval by the community.

Mzwakhe Nkambule, City of Ekurhuleni manager of customer care in Kempton Park, said: “The City of Ekurhuleni has conducted an inspection on the site and when it comes to the environmental health aspect, notices were issued to the owners about the health hazards.”

However, added Nkambule, the land is privately owned and the city has limited authority to dictate to its owners.

“It becomes the responsibility of the owner to evict people from the property. The City of Ekurhuleni will also take the owner to court, in order to comply with all the city by-laws and general laws necessary,” he said.

Nkambule said the structures on the property did not comply with the city’s regulations. “City Planning has issued a notice to the owner regarding the structures on the property,” Nkambule added.

He urged residents to be patient, as legal action would be taken against the owner. Residents suggested that an order be applied to help destroy the structures on the property.

Terblanche chaired the meeting. He said he had attempted to resolve the matter. “I didn’t sit and do nothing about it, as I had been accused of,” he said.

Terblanche confirmed that an application for rezoning the property to a residential area had been made.

EMPD chief superintendent for Kempton Precinct Leon Saaiman said: “By sending an email to explain his [the owner’s] absence at the meeting goes to show that he is not a willing participant to solve the problem on his property.

“He is going to have to find alternative accommodation for them for 24 months.”

Speaking to EXPRESS after the meeting, Terblanche said at the next meeting feedback would be provided about had been done in the interim.

“The council will continue its legal action against the land owners and we will also give feedback from the owners regarding what they have been doing on their side,” he added.

The next public meeting will be on November 25 at the VET Church on Glenavon Road at 1pm.