Evictions during Covid-19 are equally as illegal as land invasions, says Sisulu

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has said that people who invade vacant land will be dealt with, as this is illegal, and added that evictions were equally illegal.

“Nobody in this period is allowed to invade land that they find vacant, which is what most of our people like doing when they find vacant land. And evictions, which is done especially by those people who feel that either they are not getting any additional income from the people who live in their backyards or especially done by farmers in the Western Cape,” the minister said.

Sisulu said land invaders would be “put in a safe place where they will not be able to do it for a very long time”.

She said last week she had to address a matter in the Western Cape where the police had evicted about 49 families who lived in the area legally.

The minister said the matter was taken to court and “fortunately” the ruling was in favour of the evictees who have since relocated to the area, Empolweni.

Sisulu said some, however, have taken advantage of this situation and have “invaded” the area.

“What we are going to do is to go and remove them with the proper documentation from the courts and take them back to where they are supposed to be.

“There should not be any chance-takers in this particular period,” Sisulu said.

The minister was on Wednesday speaking at an interministerial brief on the Covid-19 economic and social measures announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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