Metro police continue to demolish illegal shacks
Tshwane metro demolished more than 3 000 shacks in Piennarspoort.
Stephen Selaluke
Another clash between Tshwane metro police and land invaders occurred at Retshwenyegile dwellers camp in Pienaarspoort on Wednesday morning.
This followed after the metro police and more than 15 trucks packed with Red Ants started demolishing the shacks of land invaders while they were sleeping.
They demolished more than 3 000 shacks.
Despite the clash that occurred last Tuesday on the eve of Freedom Day residents came back and started rebuilding their shacks again.
They vowed not to go anywhere. “All we want is water and electricity,” they said.
During the clash two men were arrested.
Residents retaliated by throwing stones at the metro police and the private security company who in return fired rubbers bullets at the angry residents.
The residents started throwing stones and appeared to be undaunted by the shooting or when they were kicked out and.
Many of the residents complained their furniture had been damaged and now they had nowhere to go.
The clash between residents and the metro police took place next to Pienaarspoort railway station in the far east of Mamelodi. Trains were prevented from operating in the area and left many commuters, including school children stranded.
Many residents said they were tenants and hostel dwellers from Mamelodi.
They have vowed to fight until the end. Now that they have found an empty space they were going to build homes there.
Belinda Manamela (41) a mother of two daughters said this was second time metro police demolished her shack and she had nowhere to go.
“The problem could have been solved a long time ago. If municipal officials had not sold their RDP houses,” said Manamela.
She had been on the waiting list since 1996. Some of the people who registered the same year already had their own RDP houses in Nellmapius and other parts of Mamelodi East.
“My children are at school. I do not know where they will be sleeping with me tonight,” said Manamela.
Community leader from Retshwenyegile dwellers camp in Pienaarspoort, Martin Matlala condemned the actions of metro police.
“They came in this morning and served us with a court interdict to remove our shacks but before we could even read the court interdict they started demolishing our shacks and beating residents with sjamboks,” said Matlala.
“We had been staying here for the past two weeks and according to our Constitution we have rights to stay here. When the metro police remove us they must provide us an alternative place to stay,” said Matlala.
“More than 3 500 shacks were demolished by the Red Ants,” said Matlala.
“We are taking this matter to court. What the metro police has done is wrong, as they should provide us with an alternative place to stay instead of beating people with sjamboks and shooting rubber bullets at innocent people,” said Matlala.
“We have engaged with the metro mayor last year about the empty space on Plot 46. The mayor is aware of the situation here but he does not want to come and see what is happening here.”
Matlala further said many people suffered injuries when they were hit by rubber bullets last Tuesday. Children as young as two-years had inhaled teargas.
He concluded by saying the metro call us land invaders, but we are South African residents looking for a place to stay with our children. We are tired of staying with our parents and renting places.”
Metro police spokesperson Isaac Mahamba said they had served the land invaders with a court order last Tuesday and ordered them to remove their shacks.
“Today we are serving them with the same court order as last week. The residents decided to ignore the court order and erected their shacks again,” said Mahamba.
“What they are doing is against the law especially when they throw stones at our members,” said Mahamba.
Mahamba concluded that the land invaders were welcome to take the matter to court.
Also read:
Red Ants evict RNS squatters again
Army of Red Ants evict ‘unsuspecting’ residents
Thousands of shacks demolished by metro
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