Township under siege: Shaka’s Head squatters served court papers
KwaDukuza municipality says it is prepared to tackle land grabbers head-on.
The first major step aimed at removing illegal occupiers on the outskirts of Shaka’s Head has been taken.
Papers were served to those living illegally in the area by a sheriff of the court last week.
Informal housing on the south west side of Shaka’s Head on the P445 bordering Caledon Estate has mushroomed over the past few years as illegal occupiers arrived in large numbers since early 2020.
Although no court date has been set, the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) is expecting the matter to be heard in September/October and is confident that the court will grant an eviction order.
“The process underway will lead to the eviction of the illegal occupiers,” said KDM spokesperson, Sifiso Zulu.
The Courier has previously reported on plots being illegally sold, while illegal electricity connections are plain to see when visiting.
Those connections have become a bone of contention with Shaka’s Head (Ward 4) councillor Jetro Banda, who said they are causing power disruptions for the legal residents.
“A solution must be found because the RDP houses are not getting electricity,” said Banda.
“I have tried many times with municipal officials and the electrical department to find a solution but nothing is happening. There are also rumours that municipal workers are charging to install the illegal connections.”
While the municipality is confident of eviction, the situation closely mirrors that of Taffeni, an illegally settled township in Sheffield which won an historic court battle against the municipality in August last year.
KDM took the original 100 illegal occupiers to court in search of eviction in 2019 in order to start construction on a mixed-use municipal housing project.
The four-year court process dragged on as objections were made by legal representatives of the illegal occupiers until KDM eventually caved and settled with what had become 300 people last year. They must now be housed in the new project.
Ward 30 councillor Jack Abrahams believes the Shaka’s Head illegal occupiers also intend to object to their removal.
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