DA calls on MEC Maile to work with municipalities to clamp down on illegal land invasions across the province

16 July 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is deeply concerned about numerous incidents of illegal land invasions occurring across the province yet the Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs ( COGTA), Lebogang Maile is doing nothing to intervene and stop these illegal land invasions.

In Tshwane, the illegal land invasions are widespread. The illegal land invaders are now targeting small scale farmers and private land in Skurweplaas and Vlakplaats in Centurion. There are also illegal land invasions taking place on different properties in the area namely portion 45 of JR 354 and portion 6 of JR 354.

The rightful owners of the land claim that the police are failing to stop these illegal land invasions and the illegal land invaders are continuing to erect structures on their private land.

In Elandsfontein, illegal land invaders are refusing to move from the properties that they invaded after being legally removed and their structures destroyed following a court order in favour of the rightful property owners.

It is worrying that MEC Maile has not yet done anything to assist the rightful property owners to safeguard their properties against illegal land invaders.

MEC Maile is good at condemning these illegal land invasions on media and social media platforms yet there is no action.

Gauteng municipalities alone are not capable of clamping down on illegal land invasions and require assistance from Maile’s department.

MEC Maile’s department has failed to directly confront the issue of land invasion timeously hence these incidents of illegal land invasions and the development of new informal settlements will increase exponentially.

Despite the fact that the national government has put a moratorium on evictions, land invasion still remains illegal and can no longer be tolerated.

The lockdown regulation on evictions states that no person may be evicted from their residence, regardless of whether it is a formal or informal residence or a farm. The regulations do not state that people are allowed to illegally invade the land.

The DA calls on MEC Maile to work closely with municipalities to clamp down on illegal land invasions across the province.

The only solution to these illegal land invasions is for government to enforce the law against the illegal land invaders and to ensure that they deliver the houses that they promised our people. The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements should also speed up the process of allocating land opportunities to the deserving individuals to build their own houses.

Issued byMervyn Cirota,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), 16 July 2020