UPDATE: Calm restored in PTA after cops fire rubber bullets at ‘land grabbers’

Police and squatters clashed on Saturday as the crowd of newly-arrived squatters reportedly grew violent.

The crowd of newly-arrived squatters allegedly grew violent throwing stones as police demolished their shacks.

Peace has been restored in East Lynne in Pretoria following violent clashes between metro police and land grabbers on Saturday, Pretoria Rekord Moot reports.

Police fired rubber bullets at a group of illegal squatters who occupied land along Jan Coetzee and Lanhman streets, leaving one man injured.

The crowd of newly-arrived squatters allegedly grew violent, throwing stones as police demolished about 180 shacks.

Ward councillor Freddie Pienaar said the people were “land grabbers who have been planning since January to occupy land”.

The group is said to have occupied the area in the early hours of the morning, and had erected about 15 shacks by 6am.

“I started receiving information from the community regarding the planned invasion of that area in January,” he said.

“That’s when we started mobilising and informing the land invasion authorities of what was going to happen,” Pienaar said.

Tshwane metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said 707 rounds of rubbers bullets were fired by police in an attempt to disperse the “violent crowd”.

Ward councillor Freddie Pienaar confirmed on Sunday that the area is now calm.

Even though there were a few newly erected shacks, Pienaar said the group was nowhere to be seen.

“We haven’t seen anyone erect or occupy that area today.”

He said various voting stations saw a large turnout of residents coming to update their details ahead of next year’s elections, after some of them were forced to turn back on Saturday.

“We wouldn’t take chances with our residents’ safety, so we asked for voting stations to shut down.

“Luckily we had a good turnout at all three voting stations [on Sunday], and it all went well.”

Pienaar said he was informed that the group planned to return to the area tomorrow to block all entrance and exits.

Tshwane metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said officers were monitoring identified land-grab hot spots throughout the city.

Mahamba said anyone found occupying land would be arrested.