BCM wins land grab court ruling: ‘Invaders’ ordered to stop practice

Buffalo City Metro has resorted to the courts in a bid to halt the crisis of informal settlements mushrooming in the metro townships as hundreds of land invaders grab or “sell” municipal land.

BCM finally attained a court order from the Bhisho High Court on Wednesday ordering the “unknown” land invaders to stop erecting “any structure” on open land hotspots in Scenery Park and at Mdantsane’s main entrance. Issued by acting judge Xoliswa Bacela, the court gave land invaders until June 14 to report to court and state why an order allowing BCM to demolish and dismantle shacks should not be granted, along with other strict terms.

The invaders had attempted or threatened to unlawfully occupy open land in these areas.

At the Mdantsane main entrance, more than 400 shacks have been illegally erected, causing a headache for businesses in the area and traditional leaders who used the land during initiation season.

Judge Bacela ruled that in the interim the land invaders were interdicted and restrained from:

• “Entering upon or commencing to occupy or permitting to be occupied on their behalf any part or portion of the immovable property”; and
• “Commencing or continuing to erect or occupy or permit to be occupied any structure on the (listed) immovable properties”.

The chairwoman of the community committee at G-G informal settlement, Nokubonga Gola, said they were not aware of the court interdict. Gola said the growth of the shacks there was “beyond the committee’s control.

“We have tried by all means to stop the escalation of the shacks, but there are culprits who refuse to listen to us,” she said. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za