Ekurhuleni mayor to give back the land

“The metro will release 120 farms to our farmers.

“We will release 40 pieces of strategic land parcels for development to those who qualify through proper and legal means, and we will release 341 council-owned shops that must be given to our people for them to upgrade and trade,” Masina said.

The metro will also release 89 sites to “credible churches” so that they can have land to conduct religious activities, and is also availing land to the human settlements department to build, within the current term of government, 100 000 houses and provide 59 000 serviced stands.

“We have taken a firm decision as the Ekurhuleni council that all council-owned land in the metro must be habitable, must have all social amenities and should be given to our people free of charge,” Masina said.

The mayor said land reform must take place in an orderly and nonviolent manner.

Hence a bill will be tabled in parliament to enable a constitutional and legal process of land expropriation without compensation.

Earlier finance MMC Doctor Xhakaza tabled a R44.4-billion budget, the second highest budget of a metro in Gauteng, which further cemented the pro-poor focus of the metro.