GEORGE NEWS - A section of the Seven Passes Road between Knysna and George, near Lancewood Farm, was blocked by residents of a nearby informal settlement, Old Club Timbers, on Monday. George Law Enforcement and the police were dispatched to investigate the scene.
Protesters dragged an assortment of material to the tar road, which they set alight. This action followed after two huts in their settlement caught fire on Sunday evening.
According to a neighbouring farmer, Watson Nyende, the community is upset because they have been waiting for houses for some 35 years.
"When the huts burned down and left families homeless they were tipped over the edge," said Nyende.
The protesters called it a day in the early afternoon when Knysna Mayor Ricky van Aswegen and Acting Municipal Manager Dr Louis Scheepers agreed to address the community at Dieprivier. Nyende said part of the problem is the location of the township. "It is situated roughly between the George and Knysna municipal areas. It is never clear which of the two municipalities will take ownership," said Nyende.
Protesters dragged an assortment of material to the tar road, which they set alight under the watchful eyes of the police.
George municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said the land on which the informal settlement is located is confirmed as privately owned.
"The area in question falls under the jurisdiction of Knysna Municipality in terms of the George boundaries," she said.
Feedback from Knysna Municipality is still being awaited.
Acting Municipal Manager Dr Louis Scheepers (left) and Knysna Mayor Ricky van Aswegen (right) addressed the community of Old Club Timber informal settlement late Monday evening, at Dieprivier.
Two huts in the informal settlement Old Club Timbers burned down on Sunday evening.
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