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ANC councillor accused in Glenhills land scandal

In an interview last week, Dlavana denied that he had sold the land for his own account, but that he had signed up buyers for Titus Pillay. He said he had helped with the sales out of fear for his life.

Residents of the Stanger suburb of Glenhills, where KwaDukuza municipality wants to build 1500 low-cost houses, have accused a former ANC councillor of being deeply involved in a “cash for land” scandal.

Former Ward 13 councillor Bonisile Dlavana, who served in council from 2008 to August this year, has admitted that he gave buyers letters confirming they had bought the land, but said he had done so out of fear for his life.

The scandal has emerged since the municipality obtained a high court order allowing them to demolish unfinished homes in the Glenhills area to build low cost homes. Several residents then came forward, claiming to be the rightful owners of the land, which they said they had bought in 2014.

Glenhills housing7 (Medium)
Glenhills resident Melanie Mthembu said land was sold to her by the previous Ward 13 cllr Bonisile Dlavana.

 

Speaking to The Courier, Glenhills resident Viloshini Sivalingam said she bought land on Happy Valley Road for R10 000 in 2014.

She claimed Dlavana refused to give her a receipt but did provide her with documents acknowledging the purchase as well as documents from the apparent land owner, Titus Pillay.

“We heard from people that the councillor was selling land. I contacted him and within two days I became the owner of a plot. Bonisile told me the land was owned by Titus Pillay but I never met the man.

“Bonisile assured me that he was handling the matter on his behalf. I was told not to do a transfer but to bring the cash to him. When I asked for a receipt, he got aggressive, saying that I was creating too many problems,” said Sivalingam.

Glenhills housing6 (Medium)
Previous Ward 13 Cllr Bonisile Dlavana.

 

Another Happy Valley Road resident, Melani Mthembu, claims to have also bought land in 2014.

She said it was common knowledge that Cllr Dlavana was selling land.

“The municipality wants to demolish our homes but councillors are employed by them and it’s their responsibility to oversee what they are doing in the community. We trusted the previous councillor and in our eyes he represented the municipality.

“When he told us that the land was for sale we believed him. I met Titus Pillay and he signed documents for me to get water and lights connected. The municipality cannot tell us that it is not their problem,” she said.

In an interview last week, Dlavana denied that he had sold the land for his own account, but that he had signed up buyers for Titus Pillay. He said he had helped with the sales out of fear for his life.

“The Indian community accused me of being racist. I knew the land was not supposed to be sold to people as the municipality was in the process of buying the land. I went to the municipality and informed them about what was happening and they did not act. My life was in danger and that is why I signed the papers,” said Dlavana.

However, KDM has denied that Dlavana informed them of the problem.

KDM communications and knowledge management officer, Sphelelo Ngobese said, “It is being placed on record that Bonisile Dlavana never reported any form of intimidation to council linking him to the claim that he has raised during his tenture as ward councillor.”

Speaking at a community meeting in Glenhills last Wednesday, KwaDukuza mayor Ricardo Mthembu said people who claimed to have bought land from former councillor Dlavana should open a criminal case against him.

“This has nothing to do with the municipality. The councillor is not elected by the municipality, he is elected by the people. Do not say that he was our councillor, he was your councillor,” said Mthembu. Residents have so far been successful in stopping the municipality from bulldozing the 500 “illegal” homes on the land, but KwaDukuza Mayor Ricardo Mthembu has vowed that the demolition would be going ahead.

“One of our responsibilities is to provide for those who do not have houses. We wanted to build good, affordable houses that would benefit the local community. Our role is to enforce the law and expedite the process of building houses as this is also part of a legal process which altogether informs our action against those who do not play by the rules.

“Those who have been wrongly mobilized stand to carry the consequences for their illegal exploits. We are willing to work with anyone for as long as they comply with the court’s decision. The rule of law must be respected,” he said. KwaDukuza SAPS spokesperson Johannes Khoza confirmed that cases of fraud have been opened against Dlavana.

“On Wednesday, October 12, three people opened a case of fraud. There are probably more now but I am currently unable to access that information,” he said.

 

 

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