From the news desk

Squatters removed from trust land

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Informal dwellers were forcibly removed after residing on vacant community trust land in Ndebeni on Sunday. The inhabitants had set up their structures off Voortrekker road between 18th Avenue in Kensington and Vanguard Drive in Goodwood but were immediately dismantled after residents were alerted to the matter. Members of the Kensington Factreton Residents and Ratepayers Association (KFRRA), Kensington community policing forum (CPF) and Kensington police acted swiftly.

“The ward councillor alerted the Anti Land Invasion Unit and people were disbursed,” said Mariam Oliver, the secretary of KFRRA.

These residents were allegedly informed by an individual that they were allowed to move into the area. However, this individual has not been identified. More people continued to move into the area on Monday but law enforcement officials at the scene dispersed the informal dwellers from the privately owned piece of land.

“In an unconfirmed report, we have been advised that more people will be coming in the next few days,” said Oliver.

The city council will on Monday afternoon remove the pegs which have been installed on the land to demarcate plots for the illegal erection of structures.

“The City of Cape Town condemns land invasions in general and also the land invasion currently happening on Ndabeni trust land. Cape Town simply cannot afford, nor tolerate, land invasions,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli.

The City has urged private land owners to act on unwanted residents and work with the city officials to get rid of the informal settlements.

“Although everyone should be treated with dignity and there is a vast amount of the population left without housing, the City urges private land owners to take the necessary precautions to prevent the set up of informal settlements,” says Mamkeli.

“We need private landowners to help the City to prevent the illegal occupation of land. The City cannot do this alone. For months, the City has been warning the private land owner to take steps to prevent the illegal occupation of land.”

Mamkeli emphasised that the proliferation of informal settlements has a negative impact on service delivery. VOC (Nailah Cornelissen)


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