Karino Estate residents go on march over land invasion
They took their frustrations to the streets to draw the attention of the City of Mbombela.
Some residents of Karino Lifestyle Estate and Summer Rain Estate embarked on a peaceful march on Thursday April 7. They said they are unhappy with the growing land invasions bordering their properties.
According to the angry protesters, the land invasions pose a threat to the safety of the residents of these estates, affect the economic state and the value of the properties on the estates, and undermine estate lifestyle. Thabani Ncongwane, a resident and community leader, said the march was a way to voice their dissatisfaction regarding the issue of land invasions. He alleged that crime has increased in their area.
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“People are invading the land outside our estates. Gunshots late at night are now a normal occurrence. The invaders are tampering with our water supply by illegally connecting their pipes, resulting in water shortages for the residents of Karino and Summer Rain estates. Next they will illegally connect to our electricity, which we pay a lot of money for. We ask the municipality to assist us in this matter, or else we will take a stand and take the law into our own hands.”
A resident, Pursuade Kampinya, said, “I am afraid because the invasion is reducing the value of our homes. I have invested a lot of money in Karino and now we have a crime problem. It is not safe to go out or return home late at night. It is past time for the municipality to take control of the land by fencing it in, because it is theirs.
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“We request that the municipality to appoint land controllers to preserve order and prevent the unauthorised construction of structures. We also request that the municipality engage with us as the investors in this area to let us know if they have any plans to develop the land. Our land has lost value since the invasion. We paid R480 000 for our houses, which are now valued at around R400 000. We have lost R80 000 in capital. We plan to stay here for more than 20 years, but with these invasions, our investment will become a complete failure.”
The City of Mbombela’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said the City will not hesitate to act against land invasions.
“The City is strengthening its law enforcement unit and working very closely with SAPS on the matter, and very soon those participating in illegal activities will face the full might of the law. “It will be a sad day when we will be forced to demolish structures. We need to embark on the removal of illegal structures through court orders and demolishing. We thus request our people to refrain from participating in these activities, whether it is illegal demarcating, subdivision or constructing without following processes,” said Ngala.
