Buffalo City Metro yesterday saw its second land grab this year, with community members in late black conscious leader Steve Biko’s home town of Ginsberg, King William’s Town, moving onto a swathe of vacant land.
This follows a report in the Daily Dispatch in which scores of people filled vacant land along the R72 west of East London in January.
No police officers were seen when the Daily Dispatch team arrived in Ginsberg.
Provincial police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni, contacted late yesterday, said he would respond to a request for comment as soon as he could.
The latest land invasion was motivated, according to complaints, by the government’s neglect of Ginsberg residents’ need for homes. Ginsberg civic association treasurer Mziyanda Hlekiso said the last RDP project in Ginsberg was in 1995.
“On May 26, 2014 Buffalo City Metro came to us after we had a service delivery strike. They made a beneficiary list and gave us blue cards saying these were proof we would be put on a housing beneficiary list.
“We were told to go to the municipality after six months to check our status.”
However, when they visited the municipality they were told there was no beneficiary list, the community leader said.
Four weeks ago a community meeting was convened to discuss problems around housing.
That was when they decided to fill all the vacant land around Ginsberg to provoke reaction from the government.
Thembela Spelman was born in Ginsberg 32 years ago.
He says he has watched down the years as the government has made and broken development promises.
“No housing projects have been happening here.
“We have been pushing the government to help but in vain. This is our only way of applying pressure.”
The area has gravel roads and electricity poles, indicating it may be earmarked for development. Said Hlekiso: “We will continue to build our shacks even if the government makes commitments. We will only remove a shack after a house next to it is complete. We want decent houses and not shacks but this is our only solution.”
The staunch EFF member said it did not matter if police were called as it was normal to be harassed by police.
“We are waiting for them even if they arrest us.”
Provincial human settlements spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said a housing development for the people of Ginsberg was still in the planning stage. It would prioritise people from the King William’s Town Housing Association and consider beneficiaries from outside the association, he added.
BCM ward councillor Bongani Dyonase said he had spoken to the people and asked them to stop the land invasion.
“I agree with them that there is no housing development in Ginsberg. They see it from a distance and they see government services as slow and they end up doing such things.”
He added he had been raising issues of housing development in council but in vain. However, said the ward councillor, that did not mean that it was right to invade land or that he condoned what was happening. —
zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
Residents ’provoke’ state with Ginsberg land grab
This follows a report in the Daily Dispatch in which scores of people filled vacant land along the R72 west of East London in January.
No police officers were seen when the Daily Dispatch team arrived in Ginsberg.
Provincial police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni, contacted late yesterday, said he would respond to a request for comment as soon as he could.
The latest land invasion was motivated, according to complaints, by the government’s neglect of Ginsberg residents’ need for homes. Ginsberg civic association treasurer Mziyanda Hlekiso said the last RDP project in Ginsberg was in 1995.
“On May 26, 2014 Buffalo City Metro came to us after we had a service delivery strike. They made a beneficiary list and gave us blue cards saying these were proof we would be put on a housing beneficiary list.
“We were told to go to the municipality after six months to check our status.”
However, when they visited the municipality they were told there was no beneficiary list, the community leader said.
Four weeks ago a community meeting was convened to discuss problems around housing.
That was when they decided to fill all the vacant land around Ginsberg to provoke reaction from the government.
Thembela Spelman was born in Ginsberg 32 years ago.
He says he has watched down the years as the government has made and broken development promises.
“No housing projects have been happening here.
“We have been pushing the government to help but in vain. This is our only way of applying pressure.”
The area has gravel roads and electricity poles, indicating it may be earmarked for development. Said Hlekiso: “We will continue to build our shacks even if the government makes commitments. We will only remove a shack after a house next to it is complete. We want decent houses and not shacks but this is our only solution.”
The staunch EFF member said it did not matter if police were called as it was normal to be harassed by police.
“We are waiting for them even if they arrest us.”
Provincial human settlements spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said a housing development for the people of Ginsberg was still in the planning stage. It would prioritise people from the King William’s Town Housing Association and consider beneficiaries from outside the association, he added.
BCM ward councillor Bongani Dyonase said he had spoken to the people and asked them to stop the land invasion.
“I agree with them that there is no housing development in Ginsberg. They see it from a distance and they see government services as slow and they end up doing such things.”
He added he had been raising issues of housing development in council but in vain. However, said the ward councillor, that did not mean that it was right to invade land or that he condoned what was happening. —
zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za
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