TMPD removes over 100 land invaders in Fort West

The Tshwane Metro Police Department’s (TMPD) land invasion unit removed over a hundred illegal land invaders in Fort West (Lotus Gardens) on Wednesday morning.

TMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the land grabbers were previously given notice that the illegal structures on the land would be demolished.

“They failed to comply with the notice, which resulted in a court order being issued to demolish the structures,” Mahamba said.

“About 100 illegal structures were demolished during the operation.”

Mahamba said these operations will be conducted throughout Tshwane to address the issue of illegal land occupation.

“Residents are encouraged to avoid occupying land illegally and to report those who do so.”

However, the residents said they paid between R20 000 and R30 000 to a “committee” they believed was responsible for selling the land in the area” so that they could be allocated stands.

Some residents claimed they had been staying in the area for months and the committee never said anything about their being there being illegal.

Speaking to Rekord on Wednesday, a resident in the now-demolished area, Andile Sithole said he had been staying with his family since May and does not know where to go next.

“It’s hard, I do not know what we will do today because we do not have a place to sleep.

“I am still waiting for my wife to come back from work so we can find a way forward. The children have been crying since this happened.

“We were not even given a chance to gather our belongings, I was just told to move. We were also not told about the evictions.

“The metro police said there was a notice for our evictions, but the people who sold us the land did not give it to us.”

Another resident in the area, Maxwell Mohlala, said the eviction came as a blow.

“I just got home from working the night shift and I haven’t slept. All my belongings have been ruined and I do not know where my family and I are going to sleep tonight.”

Mohlala said he was charged R20 000 when he bought the stand two months ago.

“I bought this place so I can have a place to stay with my family; I did not put myself here, I bought it.

“I have been paying monthly for this place.”

Mohlala said they were not told why they were being moved or allowed to find an alternative place to stay.

“It would have been better if they had given us a place to stay or a notice period. Where will I go with my family? This is just heartless. The same people want us to vote. What will we be voting for if we do not have a place to stay?

“Everything they destroyed here cost money that we worked hard for.”

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Another evictee, Marry Modise, said most of the demolished shacks were owned by women and grandmothers who do not have anywhere else to go.

“If this government is chasing us away, where is the alternative place to move us? This is not fair because now we do not have anywhere else to go. People are struggling here.

“Where are the parties that want us to vote for them? Where are they to defend us? We are not going to vote.”

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