‘Land grabbing’ – the new term for any illegal settlements
In eMalahleni more complaints regarding land grabbing are reported to Law Enforcement, SACCW (South African Community Crime Watch) and SAPS but in reality it is only the new term used by residents for any illegal settlements.
In eMalahleni more complaints regarding land grabbing are reported to Law Enforcement, SACCW (South African Community Crime Watch) and SAPS but in reality it is only the new term used by residents for any illegal settlements.
On July 14 an upset resident made a statement on social media regarding land grabbing taking place in Ben Fleur.
“As the report came to light we got Law Enforcement to go assist with this matter,” said Operations Coordinator, Maureen Scheepers from SACCW.
Both SACCW responders and By-Law Enforcement officers set out to the area and found one male that had taken up the area around a concrete manhole in the field as his ‘home’.
ALSO READ
Illegal dumping in eMalahleni and the way forward according to the municipality
He had a large collection of garbage that he had sorted as his belongings.
“He was not a garbage collector as he did not sort any tins and recycled items, just plain trash,” a nearby resident complained.
Law Enforcement disposed of all the items in a fire and cautioned the man that he had no permission to set up and live in the field. During a search of the man’s belongings, a big plastic bag of marijuana was found and was burnt along with the garbage.
As the Law Enforcement officers tried to get clarity on the identification of the illegal settler, it came to light that the man was arrested in 2017 for cable theft according to a SACCW responder. As for the settler he ‘thought’ he was in Lesotho and not eMalahleni.
“This was not a pleasant operation to carry out and one feels compassion for any homeless person, but the law is the law and if you feel sorry for one person and leave him to do as he pleases, the next family will move in and more to follow. By-laws are in place for a reason and everyone should comply with these laws to be able to live in harmony with each other. Thank you to the responders and to eMalahleni Law Enforcement for responding so promptly to this matter,” Scheepers concluded.
