The land invaders were confronted by Council's land use management team who had an interdict to remove the structures. The standoff was defused when the leaders and the police managed to reach an understanding on condition that clarity be obtained from the municipal officials the next day, Monday 10 September.
At one stage, the situation became very tense when the two groups confronted each other. The police kept the situation calm while Langa Kholisile Langa, the Chairman of the George Civil Society which is affi-liated to a national and provincial structure, appealed to the crowd for understanding, so that they could talk to the municipal officials the following day.
Langa told the George Herald that the origin of the incident on Sunday goes back as far as 1997. He claimed that the land to the east of Zone 1 in Thembalethu where The Bungalows are, was earmarked for those residents' grown-up children who are now living in wooden structures in Zone 1 & 2.
He said that in the run-up to the local elections of 2000, a sitting independent councillor from Thembalethu invited people to come forward and took down the names of people who were in that category. Since then the community has gone back to Council for information on many occasions, but to no avail. Langa claimed that most of the land has been identified for churches.
Steven Erasmus, George Director of Planning and Housing said that in terms of the spatial development plan for the area, the land under discussion is earmarked for housing purposes. The necessary Council approval and subsequent planning will commence after the SDF and applicable SDP have been approved.
Erasmus added that 4 935 serviced sites are currently in the process of being provided in Thembalethu under the Upgrading Informal Settlements Programme (UISP).
According to Southern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Malcolm Pojie the police were forced to use smoke grenades to disperse approximately 50 volatile land invaders. "A docket of public violence has been opened. According to Lt Heyns, the municipal manager was also on the scene who showed the eviction order to the police. No one was arrested or injured."
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A state vehicle is used to flatten one of the shacks.
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS: MYRON RABINOWITZ
