Politics is driving the feud between GMM and residents of Brendan Village
According to the police, 9 nine people have been arrested for public violence.
The feud between the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) and the Brendan Village residents is getting worse.
These residents, including former councillors and members of the mayoral committee, invaded the houses in the village two years ago shortly after the municipality announced that the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlement (MDHS) had bought the property from Evander Gold Mine on behalf of GMM.
The tenants living there at the time were shocked when a large number of people on bakkies invaded Brendan Village.
Some men were allegedly armed. Empty houses were broken into and the locks on the doors changed. The men also allegedly tried to break into the liquor store.
The manager at Brendan Village said about 30 houses were invaded and illegally occupied. These invaders-turned-residents soon began making demands even though they did not pay rent.
They picketed outside the municipal offices in Secunda on April 29, 2022, saying they will not cooperate with the MDHS’s appointed law firm that was managing the property at the time. They wanted to be consulted about the running of the village.
This march was a result of a council decision taken on April 13, 2022, that MDHS appoints a company to manage Brendan Village.
The Executive Mayor Nhlakanipho Zuma presented the proposal to council. However, the picketers demanded the immediate termination of the conveyancer who was managing and collecting the rental stock money at Brendan Village.
These residents also claimed that when they occupied the houses, everything in the village was messed up and the village had become a den for criminals and drug addicts. According to their leaders, if they didn’t help the municipality back then, the place would have been vandalised.
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At the time, there were rumours that some prominent individuals, such as former members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), as well as municipal employees instigated the invasion. In September last year, the occupiers staged a full-blown protest by blocking the entrances with burning tyres.
Residents demanded that Evander Gold Mine, which is supplying electricity and water to the village, switch their electricity back on. A few municipal workers were suspended after the protest.
When the Evander Gold Mine cut the water and electricity to the village after the occupants failed to honour a payment agreement, the occupants again picketed in front of the municipal offices in Secunda where they demanded the mayor intervene between them and the mine.
Several residents were living in the dark without electricity and weekly received water from a municipal water tanker.
The water was eventually restored, but the electricity was not switched on and then the sub-station at Brendan Village was vandalised earlier this year.
In December 2022, Zuma told the council that the municipality will enter into contracts with the Brenda Village occupants so that the municipality can generate rent money.
Opposition councillors accused Zuma of trying to protect the ANC councillors, members of the mayoral committee and former councillors who are allegedly among the illegal occupiers.
The EFF asked what message was being sent to the community if the municipality enters into contracts with “criminals”.
Zuma said the contract of the company appointed by the Mpumalanga Department of Human Settlement to manage the village on behalf of the municipality has lapsed while the municipality was still finalising the township establishment processes.
Another challenge was that all the houses and properties in Brendan Village were registered under one title deed and occupied while the municipality was working on a township establishment process.
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Zuma also at the time said that until the title deed issue is resolved, the council will not be selling the houses.
Recently, residents disrupted a council meeting to demand electricity and the upliftment of the suspension of two municipal employees. Water bottles and even chairs were flung at councillors. The residents then organised a total shutdown for Brendan Village and eMbalenhle on August 11.
Although a truck was torched near Charlie 3 during the previous night, the shutdown did not have the expected impact, because taxis were still operating and commuters managed to get to work. A memorandum was, however, handed over to someone from the Mpumalanga Premier’s office.
Their demand included the removal of the executive mayor, the upliftment of suspension of the two municipal workers, information on the value and selling price of Brendan Village, and an investigation into the municipality’s dealings with a certain security company.
Residents gave the premier seven working days to respond to their demands. Constable Busi Mthethwa, the police spokesperson, said nine people have been arrested for public violence.
Mthethwa said one of those had a firearm.
Zuma told the media during his press briefing since the MDHS procured Brendan Village for the municipality with the purpose to establish a township, there have been people working against them.
Zuma said the village already has the infrastructure and houses needed to ensure the poor have homes, but these houses were invaded.
“We engaged the invaders and certain agreements were reached, including the water issue as the Evander Gold Mine has the infrastructure already installed in the village.
“Among agreements was that the occupiers pay the water and electricity accounts, but they failed.
“By the time we had an agreement with the mine to switch on electricity again, the infrastructure was vandalised and cables were stolen.
“We reported the matter to the police,” said Zuma.
Zuma also said the people who are causing the disruption include politicians and employees within the municipal administration.
According to Zuma, none of the current councillors live in Brendan Village, only former councillors.
“Unless council takes a resolution to either evict residents or to sell those houses, these people cannot yet be removed,” said Zuma.
