It was a week of “free-land-for-all” as scores of land-hungry hopefuls flocked to vacant land along the R72 this week in what appears to be the biggest attempt at a land grab Buffalo City Municipality has seen.
The land grab, which started on Monday with just a few people marking out plots, quickly spiralled out of control at the corner of Buffalo Pass and the R72 near Cove Ridge.
Two villagers and a businessman quoted comments made by new ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming this as justification as they continued to earmark plots along the open land next to the East London airport.
Ramaphosa, speaking on Monday at Ohlange High School in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, said: “Many years later we are saying that land will indeed be returned. We are going to take that land and put it in the hands of our people, whether they like it or not. It is going to happen. The party has resolved to amend the Constitution to pave the way for land to be expropriated without compensation.”
“The president said it was time to reclaim our land,” said a man at the site.
Many said they had heard from others and had joined the movement. Some said they were keen to buy the land, if they knew who to buy it from.
Some said they wanted to buy the land collectively as a co-op if they only knew who owned it. Yesterday East London police station commander Brigadier Mxolisi Mqotywa doused the mood among the excited crowds when he called them to a meeting, appealing to them to consider the legal complications.
The affected area, according to a letter written by Piet Jonas of Setplan East London, dated May 16 last year, had been approved for development. The letter written to Cove Woods Pty Ltd states that the municipality had approved plans dated November 13 2012.
“This land has been vacant for more than 30 years and nobody has been utilising it. Meanwhile, at home we are living congested when we could be building our own homes on this land,” said a man who asked not to be named.
A BCM official said she had rushed to get a plot for herself after she heard what was happening while she was at work.
“I am employed at the municipality but I earn too much to qualify for an RDP house and I can’t get a housing subsidy because I can’t afford to buy a house – all of this when I am employed. People who are unemployed live in RDP houses and get grants from government, yet life is so difficult when you are employed; you can’t even buy a house,” she said.
This week luxury vehicles dominated the queue of cars extended along the roads as aspirant property owners took to the open land to identify a spot. Several law enforcement officers were seen watching on Wednesday and Thursday. There were police, traffic and correctional services officials and BCM employees among the mob scanning the fields for a perfect spot.
Aspirant home owners were seen illegally marking their territory, by earmarking plots on both government and privately owned plots using tree stumps and red tape.
Land grabbers came from near and afar. Some cars had Gauteng number plates.
Popular football club owner and entrepreneur Rodney Mashaya, who lives in Cove Rock, was identified by locals as the chairman of the land invasion committee, dubbed by people there as “the committee”.
Mashaya, who first denied being part of the operation, saying he was merely a spectator, later admitting to being the “chairman” after he had allegedly been requested by the community.
“I was just trying to get people to be considerate of others and minimise their plots to 30mx30m each, to allow everyone to get at least one. ”
However, by the end of the week plots had been reduced to 25mx25m because of the demand.
Buffalo City spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said the municipality condemned the land grab and warned participants against the “bad gamble. Illegal land invasion is a crime – and like all crimes, the law is very clear on what the results could be, including demolitions. Our law enforcement agencies are monitoring the situation”.
“Rumours that the occupation of the land around the airport had been sanctioned by government are totally untrue. Council is awaiting recommendations from the national task team that was set up to come with solutions on the issue, and serious action will be taken thereafter.
“There are serious dangers of these land invasions to the community as they are in close proximity to the airport and its runway,” he said.
Airports Company South Africa corporate affairs manager Senzele Ndebele said the invasions had not yet affected operations at the airport.
“We will continue to monitor the effects on operations if any. The by-laws state that there should not be any residential area within 65 decibels of noise levels to an airport as the noise pollution would have an adverse effect on the hearing of human beings.
“People living within close vicinity of the airport are in danger of losing their hearing. They are also in danger of being injured due to accidents.”
Ndebele said research showed that 80% of aircraft accidents occurred in the direct approach area or within airports. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Unhindered mob grabs land
The land grab, which started on Monday with just a few people marking out plots, quickly spiralled out of control at the corner of Buffalo Pass and the R72 near Cove Ridge.
Two villagers and a businessman quoted comments made by new ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming this as justification as they continued to earmark plots along the open land next to the East London airport.
Ramaphosa, speaking on Monday at Ohlange High School in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, said: “Many years later we are saying that land will indeed be returned. We are going to take that land and put it in the hands of our people, whether they like it or not. It is going to happen. The party has resolved to amend the Constitution to pave the way for land to be expropriated without compensation.”
“The president said it was time to reclaim our land,” said a man at the site.
Many said they had heard from others and had joined the movement. Some said they were keen to buy the land, if they knew who to buy it from.
Some said they wanted to buy the land collectively as a co-op if they only knew who owned it. Yesterday East London police station commander Brigadier Mxolisi Mqotywa doused the mood among the excited crowds when he called them to a meeting, appealing to them to consider the legal complications.
The affected area, according to a letter written by Piet Jonas of Setplan East London, dated May 16 last year, had been approved for development. The letter written to Cove Woods Pty Ltd states that the municipality had approved plans dated November 13 2012.
“This land has been vacant for more than 30 years and nobody has been utilising it. Meanwhile, at home we are living congested when we could be building our own homes on this land,” said a man who asked not to be named.
A BCM official said she had rushed to get a plot for herself after she heard what was happening while she was at work.
“I am employed at the municipality but I earn too much to qualify for an RDP house and I can’t get a housing subsidy because I can’t afford to buy a house – all of this when I am employed. People who are unemployed live in RDP houses and get grants from government, yet life is so difficult when you are employed; you can’t even buy a house,” she said.
This week luxury vehicles dominated the queue of cars extended along the roads as aspirant property owners took to the open land to identify a spot. Several law enforcement officers were seen watching on Wednesday and Thursday. There were police, traffic and correctional services officials and BCM employees among the mob scanning the fields for a perfect spot.
Aspirant home owners were seen illegally marking their territory, by earmarking plots on both government and privately owned plots using tree stumps and red tape.
Land grabbers came from near and afar. Some cars had Gauteng number plates.
Popular football club owner and entrepreneur Rodney Mashaya, who lives in Cove Rock, was identified by locals as the chairman of the land invasion committee, dubbed by people there as “the committee”.
Mashaya, who first denied being part of the operation, saying he was merely a spectator, later admitting to being the “chairman” after he had allegedly been requested by the community.
“I was just trying to get people to be considerate of others and minimise their plots to 30mx30m each, to allow everyone to get at least one. ”
However, by the end of the week plots had been reduced to 25mx25m because of the demand.
Buffalo City spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said the municipality condemned the land grab and warned participants against the “bad gamble. Illegal land invasion is a crime – and like all crimes, the law is very clear on what the results could be, including demolitions. Our law enforcement agencies are monitoring the situation”.
“Rumours that the occupation of the land around the airport had been sanctioned by government are totally untrue. Council is awaiting recommendations from the national task team that was set up to come with solutions on the issue, and serious action will be taken thereafter.
“There are serious dangers of these land invasions to the community as they are in close proximity to the airport and its runway,” he said.
Airports Company South Africa corporate affairs manager Senzele Ndebele said the invasions had not yet affected operations at the airport.
“We will continue to monitor the effects on operations if any. The by-laws state that there should not be any residential area within 65 decibels of noise levels to an airport as the noise pollution would have an adverse effect on the hearing of human beings.
“People living within close vicinity of the airport are in danger of losing their hearing. They are also in danger of being injured due to accidents.”
Ndebele said research showed that 80% of aircraft accidents occurred in the direct approach area or within airports. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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