City gives itself 90 days to sign off housing list
JOBURG – Mayor Herman Mashaba accused the ANC of using people for political means, referring to the recent land invasions across the City.
Amid recent land invasions across the City of Johannesburg, Mayor Herman Mashaba aims to fast track the housing process, but warned that illegal occupation of land will only deter this process.
Mashaba further accused the African National Congress (ANC) of orchestrating land invasions with the aim of destabilising the new coalition administration, calling it a blatant abuse of vulnerable people to achieve political ends.
The mayor invited residents of Orange Farm to tell their stories at a media briefing this morning in Braamfontein. Residents claimed the ANC was behind the land invasions.
He announced that within the next 90 days, the City will compile and he will sign off a housing list.
He said the City will not lie to residents and that there is “no quick fix to the massive housing backlog”.
“What those hell-bent in destabilising the City at all costs must understand, is that with every illegal land occupation, land for housing developments is held up. And law-abiding residents, who have been waiting for services and houses for years under the previous ANC administrations, are made to wait even longer,” he said.
Mashaba voiced his concerns said that this is not a cheap political stunt.
Mashaba said the City first has to identify land then install infrastructure like water and electricity before giving title deeds to people on the waiting list.
“We cannot have our people living without toilets. We need to service the land first,” he said.
But Mashaba said if people invade land, they invade property that does not belong to them.
“All land occupation, without prior authorisation by relevant authorities, remain illegal and by law JMPD is mandated to evict people off illegally occupied land,” he said.In a press release, the ANC said they would
In a press release, the ANC said they would support the call made by the MEC of cooperative governance, traditional affairs and human settlement, Paul Mashatile for law enforcement agencies to clamp down on land invasions and vandalism of properties.
”We condemn in the strongest possible terms the instigation of any actions, by people masquerading as community leaders, aimed at undermining the programme of government of ensuring that our people have access to housing and other social amenities.” the statement read.
It further read that the ANC had equally noted the opportunistic and rather unfortunate stance taken by the DA in both Tshwane and Johannesburg to accuse the the party of being behind the illegal actions and added that any person irrespective of their political affiliation who mobilises the community to illegally occupy land and/or vandalise property should face the full might of the law and should be harshly dealt with.
