Tshwane investigates land grab claims against EFF

The preliminary report on the land invasion investigation against the EFF and its councillor Obakeng Ramabodu is expected to be released this month.

This is according to the head of the office of the Chief Whip, Gadner Tefu.

“In terms of the prescribed timelines, on or about October 9, a preliminary report will be made available to the Section 79 rules and ethics committee for processing.”

Tefu said a complaint was registered against Ramabodu and then referred to the Office of the Chief Whip investigations unit for further action.

“Upon receiving representations and conducting an in loco inspection, a report will be forwarded to the Chief Whip of Council for a decision on referral or non-referral to the committee (Office of the Speaker),” he added.

DA Gauteng shadow community safety MEC Crezane Bosch lodged a complaint against the EFF with the office of the Public Protector after the party’s land grab in Olievenhoutbosch last month.

When contacted about the status of the case, Bosch said the office of the speaker of Tshwane was still investigating.

She said she is still awaiting the Public Protector to conduct her investigation, as PP had initially informed her that the speaker needed to be investigated first as the custodian of the code of conduct for councillors.

“The Public Protector has notified us that the Speaker as custodian of the code of conduct for councillors, first needs to complete their investigation,” She added.

Bosch said the illegal occupiers had increased drastically in recent weeks, adding that the DA was working with the community to resolve the matter amicably.

“Yes the land is still occupied, and the illegal land invasion has increased rapidly over the last few weeks. However, the DA is working closely with the community to see how this can be addressed, and the constitutional rights in terms of Section 25 of the Constitution pertaining to property rights be upheld.”

However, the EFF has rejected the DA complaint.

Ramabodu, who is also EFF regional chairperson, said the DA’s actions were “absurd and ignorant”.

“The EFF in Tshwane rejects with contempt the absurd call by the DA for an investigation against the EFF public representative’s alleged involvement in a land occupation incident that transpired in Olievenhoutbosch,” he said.

“Tshwane EFF observes with regret that the Shadow MEC for Community Safety is either deeply embroiled in darkness to comprehend the events of Olievenhoutbosch land occupation or is categorically misinformed about the involvement of the EFF public representative in this regard.

“The availability of the public representative as a leader of the people in facilitating dialogue among community members cannot be misconstrued for ownership of the protest, therefore, this call for an investigation by the DA is nonsensical. It should be entirely dismissed.”

Recently the Tshwane metro police demolished 17 illegal structures at the Ga-Rankuwa industrial place during an anti-land invasion operation.

The city’s said residents needed to adhere to the laws put in place to avoid chaos.

“The multiparty coalition government has always maintained its position that we must all abide by the rule of law and this means putting an end to the illegal practice of land invasions and the subsequent water and electricity connections. Land invasions harm our programme of building sustainable human settlements and further erode the property rights of all residents in our city,” the city’s statement read.

“The City has taken a zero-tolerance approach to land invasions and will continue to demolish and support the implementation of eviction orders against individuals who unlawfully occupy public land.

“The metro police will continue to work with appointed service providers to monitor, prevent and evict offenders in all areas of the municipality.

“The City offers various social housing solutions, including RDP housing to qualifying residents. Following the correct processes to acquire housing is the only solution to building safe communities with the required rudimentary services and amenities.”

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