Eastvale calm after attempted land grab

Eastvale was rocked by attempted land grabs on Friday by Skoonplaas informal settlement residents.

The land in question forms a boundary between Eastvale and Skoonplaas.

The police, alongside the EMPD and Springs CPF, were busy all day pushing back the illegal occupants and negotiating with them.

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A committee of residents from Eastvale went to talk to the committee of residents in Skoonplaas to get a clear understanding of the situation.

What emerged during the talks was that some residents of Skoonplaas had been sold tracts of land for approximately R10 000.

These residents were under the impression the people who sold the land to them owned it and spent the day putting up markers for what they assumed was their land.

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The land, however, belongs to the metro and cannot be sold by anyone.

After the situation calmed down, the resolution was that the Skoonplaas committee would have their own meeting and attempt to resolve their internal issues before reporting back to the Eastvale committee on Monday.

At a community meeting was held in Eastvale on Saturday afternoon.

Eastvale CPF chairperson Herman Marais explained that while he understood the residents’ frustrations, they should remain calm and stick together.

“If you see something, report it to the EMPD as soon as possible.

The person to call at the EMPD is Supt Buthelezi on 071 986 7794.

We don’t want anybody to get hurt,” says Marais.