More than 15 illegal shacks in the Princess Informal Settlement were destroyed this morning by members of the police and Metro Police.
According Roodepoort police’s Colonel André Laing they received a report yesterday that a land invasion was taking place in the settlement. Laing and his colleagues went to investigate last night, and says Laing, he counted 15 empty illegal shacks. By this morning though all of them were occupied.
The Metro Police, who has to enforce by-laws, was instructed by the Department of Housing to destroy the shacks. They in turn asked the police to join the operation in order to keep the peace.
Hordes of police and metro police descended on the settlement and destroyed the shacks while the occupants clambered to save their personal belongings. Multiple illegal electricity connections were also destroyed.
The affected dismayed squatters said they bought the pieces of land for between R800 and R1500 a piece. Some said they bought it from the EFF while others said they purchased the pieces of land from the DA Ward Committee or the ANC Ward Committee. They did not want to disclose the names of the culprits.
It is also alleged that one of the squatters was electrocuted by the open live wires of the illegal connections last night but this could not be confirmed.
