Lenasia residents, alleged land invaders face-off
20 July 2019
Police have resorted to firing rubber bullets to disperse alleged land invaders in Lenasia, South of Johannesburg, while other residents marched on Saturday calling for an end to land grabs in the area.
EWN reported on Saturday that tensions escalated in Lenasia where Gauteng Human Settlements MEC Lebogang Maile was on the ground.
It was reported that there was a standoff between homeowners and shack dwellers which led to police intervening by rubber bullets at the land invaders.
eNCA reported that the Gauteng department of Human Settlements is in talks with Lenasia residents following their concerns about the land grabs.
Maile also reportedly said that he does not want to see the situation in Lenasia gets out of control.
"This situation has the potential of getting out of hand and degenerating to racial war which is what we don’t want to see. These problems are not new, they’ve been there for a long time," Maile reportedly said.
News24 reported that a number of people who live in Narens Farm claimed Lenasia South residents had opened fire on them with live ammunition and demolished their shacks in the early hours of Friday morning, something the residents denied.
Samuel Mohapi said he was woken by noises and gunshots when two of his shacks were demolished.
"I want to revenge for what they did. They must feel the pain," said a visibly angry Mohapi.
'They must pay for what they did'
Thabiso Mokoena claimed he witnessed a group of Lenasia South residents opening fire on two people who were running behind him.
"We were all asleep in our shacks when our shacks were destroyed.
"They caught us off guard. We will teach them a lesson. They must pay for what they did," he said.
Lenasia resident Tebogo Baabua said they were against land occupations in their area.
"We can't allow people to come wherever and illegally occupy land here," said Baabua.
Pranesh Maharaj complained that land occupations had escalated crime and affected their property value.
