MZINTI – Tension is running high in Nkomazi among the people of the Shongwe Chieftaincy. This comes after a long battle over land that has led to people illegally invading property which has not been officially allocated to them.
This practice has been going on for over a year and has now reached its peak.
Some of the people who have forcefully occupied the land say they had no choice but to force their way in, since the tribal office did not take their pleas seriously.
“This is not the first time. We have places such as Enkanini in Naas and Matsulu. They are the aftermath of greed by the people who supposedly own the land. They want to keep benefiting while we are left out in the cold,” said the resident who did not wish to be named.
He emphasised that they were not going to leave the land at any cost.
“Some people have started living there, while others are now building bigger houses. South Africa belongs to all of us, and we will not let the tribal office abuse its privilege in any way. We have moved in and we are not going anywhere,” he added.
However, the tribal authority says it will fight for the eviction of the illegal occupants. “Our people have got used to being unruly in the name of democracy and rights.
It is disrespectful for one just to invade and move into someone else’s space and expect them to welcome you. We told the people that we do have a certain portion of land set aside for them to use, but not that one, because we have reserved it for other purposes.
“The next thing you know, they will ask the Public Protector to intervene, then the process takes longer while some of them are moving in already,” said Mr Oscar Shongwe of the Shongwe Tribal Authority.
Asked what his office intended to do with the land, Shongwe said they had planned to build a private hospital.
“We don’t want our people travelling far when they want to get to private hospitals. This is part of bringing the services to our people and giving them what they need,” he added.
Nkomazi Local Municipality has also weighed in on the matter, saying they want it resolved soon. “We cannot really say much because that land belongs to the tribal authority. However, we do wish this to be resolved fast.
We cannot allow people to occupy illegally because soon they will also be protesting for the delivery of services on land that they occupied illegally and which was not budgeted for,” said Mr Cyril Ripinga, spokesperson for the Nkomazi Local Municipality.
The tribal authority has confirmed it is still fighting the matter in court and will continue to do so until the land has been evacuated.
