Kosovo demolition leads to chaos
What also appeared to aggravate the situation was the fact that none of the Umjindi councillors, including Mashaba himself, were present to address them.
BARBERTON – Angry residents of Kosovo Village in Emjindini were in uproar last Thursday.
They blockaded the R40 from Barberton to Nelspruit with burning wood and hurled insults at Umjindi mayor, Cllr Lazaros Mashaba in absentia, and police officers on the scene as they helplessly tried to resist demolition of their “homes”.
One woman was heard to say, “With that type of cruel heart, I wonder what kind of pastor Mashaba (Cllr Lazaros Mashaba) was at the church he is always claiming to lead.”
He is a well-respected man of the cloth who serves at the Zion Christian Church in Emjindini.
This took place after residents of Kosovo Village said their “homes” had been destroyed by caterpillar as ordered by the council.
The area looked as if it had been struck by a powerful tornado. In under an hour, the caterpillar, guarded by a heavy armed contingent of police and led by the Sheriff of the Court, tore the wooden houses apart and left the people homeless.
Soon after their shacks were completely demolished the residents wanted to march to the council offices and personally remove Mashaba as their leader.
Their attempt was foiled by police who barricaded the road, claiming the residents didn’t have a permit.
Once the police had left, the rioters continued to blockade the road with stones and sing struggle songs.
What also appeared to aggravate the situation was the fact that none of the Umjindi councillors, including Mashaba himself, were present to address them.
Barberton Times ascertained that while the Sheriff of the Court was demolishing their structures, the local leadership was busy engaging with the MEC for public works, roads and transport, Dikeledi Mahlangu.
Thembi Matsebula, (42) said she had lost about R4 500 which it had cost her to build her house. “The very same government that I voted into power is the one that left me homeless today.
The day will come when they go around asking for our votes and only fools will vote for them,” said Matsebula.
Snopo Gwebu of the Umjindi Community Forum said they would continue to occupy that land until the council met their demand for allocated stands. Residents of the area said, “We maintain our promise that should we be evicted, we are going to boycott the municipal services and next year’s elections. We are never going to rest until we are totally free! aChimurenga iHhondo…..Pambere!”.Community members started to occupy the municipal land illegally last year on the grounds that the council had failed to fulfil its promises to them.
Barberton Times had previously reported that the residents claimed that the mayor
had verbally promised that they were would be allocated stands. To date nothing had been done.
Recently, Mashaba has claimed that the government has bought four farms around Umjindi and people should wait patiently as they will get them.
Attempts to obtain comment from the council were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
