About 400 residents from Kya Sand Informal Settlement attempted to invade the land yesterday.
Douglasdale Police fired rubber bullets early in the morning as they tried to disperse residents who already allocated themselves spaces in the open land adjacent to the Kya Sand industrial area.
Rosta Mashabane, who claimed to have contacted the police, said the attempt was an act of hooliganism by people who wanted to cause disruption during Mandela Day.
Mashabane works at the sanitation project close to the open land and claimed someone from the informal settlement encouraged people to start a land invasion.
“When I called the police, the people from the settlement burnt tyres and barricaded the road,” she said.
The police and the provincial Department of Housing then dispatched the public order police and JMPD swiftly, she said.
One of the community leaders, Nyauza Nongwevu, said residents were tired. “The government came here last year and promised us houses and electricity, even today we are still waiting,” he explained.
He explained that people were tired and there was no communication anymore about the Lion Park Development and the houses they were promised.
“Our ward councillor is busy taking pictures of potholes and not addressing the people’s problems. We are fed up and we need land as stipulated in the ruling party’s Freedom Charter,” said Nongwevu.
He further alleged that it was a group of unemployed people who were fuelling the invasion.”When we approached them, they told us that we must write letters and get City Power and provincial Department of Housing to respond to their needs,” he concluded.
Councillor Matome Mafokwane stressed that residents should respect constitutional laws, which include rights to private property.
“Land invasion is a criminal act and law enforcements are there to act upon it. Anyone found invading land will be dealt with accordingly,” he said.
He concluded that he understood the plight of residents living without homes. “Human Settlement has a responsibility to fast track housing in the city,” he concluded.
Randburg Police and Honeydew cluster standby spokesperson Constable Stanley Bopape explained that police will monitor the area and would not tolerate any land invasion or public violence.
Details: Randburg Police, 011 449 9000; Ward 96 Councillor Matome Mafokwane, 084 854 4950.
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