City sets sight on eradication of illegal land invasions
The city held a press briefing last Monday about illegal land invasions and their plans for addressing a current housing shortfall of 33 000 units.
MBOMBELA – Illegal land invasions in and around the City of Mbombela’s have hampered its progress in providing residents with adequate, suitable and affordable human settlements.
The invasions have been due to the municipality’s backlog, but also hamper its ability to plan.
At the end of July “amnesty”, via SMS, was offered to “all councillors who are directly or indirectly affected on the illegal allocation of houses”.
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They were advised to come forward or face the full might of the law. It is unclear why dealing with them legally was not considered.
Municipal spokesman, Joseph Ngala referred Lowvelder to the provincial Department of Human Settlements.
“They called the meeting in question and they are the ones who extended the amnesty and the period. However, the statement by the Speaker did not say that it is councillors only who are implicated in the allegations. He indicated that ‘everyone’ who knows that they, in whatever way have been involved in selling or even buying or illegally invading and occupying RDP houses, are given that amnesty to come forward and make statements before they are pursued by the law. The Speaker was just giving feedback from a meeting he attended as per invitation,” said Ngala.
Read a report by Lowvelder, detailing a planned land invasion during January 2017.
Spokesman for the department, Freddy Ngobe said the City of Mbombela was handling the matter. “Therefore the municipality is better placed to shed light on the questions. As a matter of fact, the department as the facilitators of the creation of human settlements in the province has been and continues to work with the municipality in addressing the challenges at hand, and others related to service delivery.”
The city held a press briefing last Monday about invasions. Member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for city planning and development, Busisiwe Mdhluli said they currently have a shortfall of 33 000 units of all typologies: low cost, middle income, open stand and rental stock.
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There is a projected demand of 68 000 units by 2030. To this end the city plans to upgrade all 26 informal settlements within the municipality’s limits and create four new urban nodes.
Only 30 per cent of settlements in the city clustered around the CBD are considered adequately serviced. The densely populated settlement in the east, which constitutes almost 70 per cent of all municipal dwellings, is mostly rural and characterised by a lack of bulk services such as water, sanitation and waste management.
Mdhluli said they have not been able to reach everybody. “And we know that this is a mammoth task, but we are trying by all means available to assist those communities which need to be settled,” she said.
She added that illegal land invasions were hampering their efforts.
“Unfortunately the rate of illegal land invasions has far overtaken the rate at which the municipality can provide housing and basic service infrastructure.”
Areas of invasions, according to a report by the general manager of city planning and development, Dumisani Mabuza, are Msholozi, Tekwane North, Tekwane South, KaNyamazane, Entokozweni, KaBokweni, Matsafeni Stadium Precinct, Matsulu, Bhamjee, Karino, Lurex, Sheba Siding and Verulam.
Currently the city has identified 13 areas where illegal land invasions led to an increased joint effort to identify and prosecute individuals and communities that have been accused of selling plots illegally.
Ngala explained that most of the planned projects are already underway. “We will fund these projects through an integrated approach which includes the national treasury, provincial and municipal coffers. By 2018, all projects will have been started,” he said.
Mdhluli said where it was necessary, existing illegal structures would have to be demolished. “Planning around people is a mess, so we urge residents to refrain from purchasing plots from people who are not from the municipality.”
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“We have sourced our own investigators and it won’t be long before you will hear of people being charged. We are working closely with the SAPS to find and investigate these people who appoint themselves as landowners and sell plots illegally,” she concluded.
