Land that has been earmarked for an automotive supplier park special economic zone near Winklespruit was on Sunday invaded by land grabbers who then allotted plots to themselves, saying they are tired of waiting to be given land where they can build homes.

The sprawling tract of land is bordered by the Illovo River to the north and the Msimbazi River to the south. The P197 road and the N2 highway create the east–west borders respectively.

The land is owned by the Dube TradePort Corporation, which announced in 2017 that a business park for the automotive industry would be built and operational by 2021. As a government entity, the Dube TradePort Corporation falls under the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. The company also runs the Dube TradePort economic zone in La Mercy where King Shaka International Airport is situated.

eThekwini Municipality executive committee member André Beetge says the land was purchased by the provincial government from Illovo Sugar several years ago.

On Sunday, people from nearby Umgababa set the sugarcane fields on the land on fire in preparation for the full-scale invasion, which happened the following day. On Monday and Tuesday, pandemonium reigned as hundreds of people descended on the site, marking pockets of land for themselves. Traffic on the N2 and P197 near the area became congested as some motorists joined the invasion.

“Impatience seems to be mounting between residents and job seekers on the delay in the overall development of the entire area. Job opportunities remain a huge challenge in the southern wards against the backdrop of an ever-increasing need for housing by an expanding community,” says Beegte.

Amanzimtoti police spokesperson Captain Charlene van der Spuy says police had been sent to monitor the situation. When the South Coast Sun arrived on Tuesday morning, two police vehicles were at the site, but they left about 10 minutes later.

A woman, who only identified herself as Martha, confirmed that she had secured a plot for herself. “I’m standing here guarding it so that no one else comes and claims it for themselves. We now want our inkosi (chief) Phathisizwe Luthuli to come and address us so we know how to proceed,” she said at the time.

Another man, who did not identify himself, said there has been a lot of confusion about whose land it was, and how the plots should be allocated. “This is why we want the chief to come and clarify things. As far as we know, the land belongs to him, and if it belongs to him, it is rightfully ours,” said the man.

Luthuli was not available to comment as he was in meetings with Dube TradePort Corporation and provincial government representatives.

Sipho Msimango, who is the secretary of the Umini Community Trust, an entity created by Luthuli to look after the interests of his tribe, says the trust strongly condemns the invasion.

“This illegal act will hurt this community in the long run. We advise people not to participate in these acts, and they should not allow themselves to be used as political pawns by people who want to serve their interests. The businesses that are going to be built on this land are going to benefit the people of Umgababa,” adds Msimango.

The Dube TradePort Corporation promised to provide comment on the matter but had not done so at the time of publication.