[WATCH] Police use rubber bullets to remove squatters at Umhlali

Defiant squatters abandoned their barricade under a hail of rubber bullets, smoke and stun grenades.

At least three police officers were injured while evicting the squatters at Umhlali earlier today, September 2.

The number of injured protesters has not been established.

About 70 of the illegal land occupiers had staged a protest, blockading the road leading to their settlement and refusing to leave their homes.

The privately-owned property in the Umhlali Business Park, near the old Umhlali railway station, has been occupied by about 200 squatters for some time.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court previously granted Ballito businessman, Roy Tremearne an eviction order to remove them.

This is the second attempt at evicting the occupants.

On August 3, a sheriff of the court attempted to have the occupants removed but the situation quickly escalated and was abandoned.

The occupants were demanding alternative accommodation from the municipality.

At the time KwaDukuza Municipality spokesperson, Sipho Mkhize said the municipality could not meet the requirement of providing alternative accommodation to the illegal occupants cited in the court order due to the backlog in providing homes to qualifying beneficiaries already on the database.

Earlier today the sheriff of the court returned to complete the assignment.

Public Order Police from Empangeni and Pretoria, who had been operating locally, were sent to assist.

Community leader Fezile Gosa said they would not go quietly.

“All we want is a piece of land on which to live and survive,” said Gosa.

The tension was palpable as the squatters faced the police across the barricade of burning tyres and branches.

When the squatters refused to disperse, the police stormed into the illegal settlement.

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