The negotiations became violent on Saturday when people, who are mostly living in the lower parts of Borcherds, in Spandiel and Bruce streets, tried to occupy the Metro Grounds for the third time since Youth Day last week.
At least four criminal charges are being investigated and two people have been arrested. This follows several meetings and negotiations between the George Municipality and police throughout last week where senior municipal officials tried to explain the prescribed negotiation process that must be followed. The main propagators of the land claims, Jim Mbwawzana, John Yoko, Mervin Olivier and Clive Scheepers, last Tuesday told the 'land claimers' that negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse, where after the backyard dwellers unsuccessfully tried to claim land for the second time. This took place after the municipality had obtained an urgent court order to prevent the occupation of the Metro Grounds.
On Saturday 21 June things turned nasty when the group again tried to illegally occupy the land.
Captain Bernadine Steyn, Southern Cape Police spokesperson, on Monday said the police have pressed charges. "A case of contradiction of a court order, trespassing, hindering and obstructing of a police officer in the executing of his official duties, as well as malicious damage to property was opened. The malicious damage to property follows the burning of a piece of the grounds." According to Steyn, two people were arrested for public violence after they allegedly threw stones at the police.
It seems that the support for the illegal occupation is waning as a planned meeting for Tuesday evening between the backyard dwellers and Mbwawzana, Yoko, Olivier and Scheepers did not materialise, due to a no show by the community. Scheepers told the George Herald, "I don't know what went wrong as the community did not pitch."
The municipality and some councillors had earlier accused the group of "having political motives".
Some of the backyard dwellers claiming the Metro Grounds as their own.
ARTICLE: CHRISTO VERMAAK, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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