Squatters settle under Eskom lines

LYDENBURG – Mashishing and surrounding areas are now facing a population explosion as hundreds of illegal land invasions are taking place.

The latest is the so-called Marikana and New Stand in Kellysville. Steelburger/Lydenburg News visited the newest invasions to gain more insight about where exactly these “residents”, claiming their stake in this area, came from.

Behind Kellisville, along a small dirt road, the newspaper made its way to Marikana where some illegal stands already boast wooden structures.

Invaders on the said land did not want to be identified, but spoke to the newspaper regarding the occupation of the land.

A 39-year-old man, who has been living in Mashishing with his parents, said that he decided to occupy the land in order to obtain a stand and hopefully a RDP house.

He said he had documents granting him permission to occupy the land. “I have documents from the department of housing in Nelspruit that permits me to live here and if they come I will show them the proof. I am staying here because I want to own a stand and a house,” he said.

The newspaper also talked to a woman of Skhila at New Stand. She said she had been renting a shack for years now. “We were given permission to occupy the land, and I believe they would build houses for us but that will not happen soon because they promised to build for Marikana first.”

When the newspaper questioned them on who gave them the permission to claim stands, they said they only knew his surname. The man responsible is apparently only known as Nkosi.

Not only would it seem that these invasions were illegal but the shacks were also being erected directly underneath Eskom power lines.

This put the invaders in danger of being electrocuted should one of them snap and land on homes. Strong winds increase the chances of line breaks.

People who build houses or dwellings directly under power lines are not only breaking the law, but are putting themselves, their families and their possessions at serious risk, as these lines are not insulated and carry power of a very high voltage.

Should a power line fall onto a roof; it becomes deadly as most of these dwellings have corrugated iron roofs.

According to Eskom, the risk of being injured is increased if power lines or conductors are damaged or their condition deteriorate over time. There are also other possible disasters that could occur such as veld fires or lightning strikes that can cause the lines to sever.

A reliable source told the newspaper that when people occupy a piece of land, the municipality must first proclaim the said land. He said that could only be done through council resolution. “Then only can a temporary structure be erected.

Proclaiming allows for issues like environmental assessments being done on the land to ensure that it’s fit for habitation and to eliminate the possibility that it could be a heritage site.”

When the newspaper asked him whether Thaba Chweu Municipality has made an effort to speak to the invaders, he said, “Individually they go and speak to them secretly. Politicians and officials within TCLM are fighting for power.

Each one wants people to support him and in this case, politicians and officials are recruiting people through this illegal land occupation. They are the guilty ones. It should have been controlled from the beginning. Because politicians and officials are involved, the situation is now uncontrollable.

No one has engaged the community on this issue. Mashishing is already facing an infrastructure challenge and now we have to deal with this unplanned development. In the case relating to Marikana, there were politicians ushering the people in.”

Steelburger/Lydenburg News sent queries regarding the illegal land occupation through to council. The newspaper wanted to know the current situation regarding the invasion of the land at Kellysville and if they knew who gave permission for these invaders to stake their claims in this area.

The newspaper also wanted to know if the Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) has engaged with the invaders of the land, where the invaders come from and if any effort has been made to negotiate with them.

TCM said that council was aware of the ongoing land invasion in Mashishing and other areas. “Our preliminary investigation uncovered that the invaders are not local people who have urgent housing need. We suspect the motive might be that people flock to Mashishing looking for employment opportunities.”

TCM said that a case had been opened at the SAPS for the illegal occupation of council land. “Council is engaging with the leaders of the invaders, currently there there are an estimated 5 000 shacks. Because this is an invasion, council is unable to service this area without a proper planning.

Community members are discouraged from paying any money as this land belongs to council alone. We strongly condemn this invasion and call upon those involved to desist from this illegal activity. No permission has been granted for any stands to be occupied currently as the land has not been proclaimed as inhabitable.”