Ward 23 residents await solution from municipality on land dispute
“They are evicted because they have occupied the area illegally, and we want to start with the process of formalising the area,” municipal spokesperson Lebo Mofokeng said.
Residents of Ward 23 in Kwa-Guqa Extensions continue to wait for the Emalahleni Local Municipality’s response after submitting a memorandum regarding residential concerns.
After a violent act on August 6 in which houses were demolished and shots fired at residents allegedly by law enforcement, the residents turned to the municipality on August 12 to ask for answers and intervention.
The community explained that it all began as a years’ battle for land, which saw a series of “empty promises,” as they describe it, from the municipality, promising to allocate land to them where they could build and reside.
“We have been looking for a space to build for years, but when we eventually find it, our shacks are being demolished, and we are being beaten, shot, and chased after, as they claim that there are people on a list who are supposed to occupy the same land,” the residents said.
The residents cried that they are currently helpless and short of options as they are forced to be squashed in small rooms and pay rent regardless of their employment status.
“We don’t have problems with the municipality; we are just pleading with them to allow us to occupy the stand, because when we attempt to build, our shacks are demolished, and we become assaulted,” a resident said.
In their memorandum, the residents mentioned their plea for investigations into the shooting incident that left residents injured, land dispute resolution, community engagement, and support for the victims affected by the violence.
However, while the residents continue to wait to find out about the municipality’s plan of action, the municipal spokesperson, Lebo Mofokeng, admitted that the municipality has on numerous occasions evicted the residents and is currently busy with the verification of their status on where they originate from.
“They are evicted because they have occupied the area illegally, and we want to start with the process of formalising the area,” he said, adding that the shooting incident occurred because the law enforcement was only retaliating to the residents’ violence.
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