More than a hundred residents of Ext. 10 and Ext. 11 say they were forcibly removed from the stands allocated to them by the Ventersdorp municipality two years ago.
According to a community representative who wanted to remain anonymous, ‘the arrogant security officials dressed in camouflage uniform forcibly evicted them on Monday, 13 February, without any interdict or notice.
‘They were not interested in checking our confirmation letters that indicated that we are allowed to stay there. They told us they would not account to us,’ said the representative.
He says the community has opened a case at the police station. He added that, to date, municipality NW 405 has never contacted them to explain why they were evicted. ‘We finally felt the merger last Monday and it is evident that Potchefstroom has swallowed Ventersdorp. We are not equal,’ he said.
He says the residents who were evicted from the land are renting rooms in town and the township at the moment,
EFF angered by the eviction
At an ordinary council meeting on Tuesday, members of the EFF raised this issue.
The EFF’s PR councillor, Johanna Xaba said some of the over 100 people who were evicted were ANC officials at the Ventersdorp municipality. ‘We don’t know what the underlying agenda is. This was a council resolution and people have proof and stand numbers that the Ventersdorp municipality allocated the land to them. No one consulted or warned them that they would be moved,’ she said.
She says Eddie Modiakgotla from the Speaker’s office promised them, after the meeting, that the portfolio committee would meet and invite the land committee to discuss the issue and how to assist the people.
‘These might be empty promises because it was not formal. We will wait and see and will follow it up if nothing is done. We want the solution to this problem,’ she said.
Council spokesperson responds to the eviction
Willie Maphosa, the council spokesperson says the records in the municipality’s possession indicate that the group of residents were initially interdicted by what was then the Ventersdorp Municipality. ‘A municipal official allocated the same group sites without the permission of the council two years ago. These could possibly be the letters that you refer to. The occupation of land is, therefore, illegal seeing that there is no council approval for the settlement,’ he said. Maphosa says it is against this background that the residents were removed from the land on 13 February. ‘The municipality has a standing court order for such removals and does not have to go to court each time such an eventuality presents itself. This provision was granted to the erstwhile Tlokwe City Council and was used in this case in accordance with the law of succession,’ he said.
