Preparations for the eagerly-awaited premier horse race event, the Berlin November, came to a dramatic halt on Tuesday after EFF supporters invaded the race course and chased away workers.
The action was organised by 50 EFF supporters from ward 45 who claim the land, on which the race event is held annually, is theirs.
Some irate residents told the Dispatch at the scene how they were “forcefully” removed from the land in 2011.
Ward 45 EFF regional command team (RCT) member Busisiwe Makinana said 171 families were forced to abandon their homes at Ezizeni in 2011 because ANC councillor Gideon Norexe told them that the area was not conducive for habitation.
“People were forced to demolish their homes and moved into prefabricated temporary structures across the road and a few years later we saw the same area becoming a home to a horse race for four consecutive years. Not this time.
“It won’t happen this year. We want our land back.”
The Dispatch visited the temporary settlement at Emajarantiyeni along N2 between East London and King William’s Town and saw more than 100 temporary structures, some of them dilapidated.
Makinana said the “forgotten” residents were promised proper houses within a year of the relocation, but to no avail.
Emajarantiyeni is situated in an industrial zone.
Lulama Mniki, 65, said the factories polluted the air and that she lost her husband after he inhaled toxic fumes from one of the plants. “This is painful, we can't live in those conditions any more.”
EFF ward 45 secretary Melikhaya Rwexana, 28, said families were forced to kill their dogs, and slaughter and sell livestock after the councillor told them animals were not wanted in the industrial area.
Norexe slammed the EFF as “treasonous-minded anarchists” who were “misleading” residents. “That party is unstable and chaotic. They don't know the full story.
“That land is indeed not suitable for human habitation. Horses are there for a one-day event. That doesn’t mean that area is suitable for houses.”
The drama takes place just a month before the fashion, music, food, drink and horse-racing extravaganza, which is expected to draw 40,000 well-heeled people to the track and pop-up marquee village.
Berlin November organiser Luthando Bara said the timing of the invasion was “alarming”.
“No one was going to that land for a long time but now that we are busy with preparations all of a sudden people are taking action. Either way the land belongs to Buffalo City Metro. Surely they will handle this,” he said.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said: “As a city we would like to condemn in the strongest possible terms the issue of land invasion, more particularly one that is being orchestrated to this degree.
“It is against the law and unacceptable.”
He added: “The motive, timing and execution of this particular invasion defeats the genuine cause, which is about the need for our people to have houses and be settled in areas that will bring about their dignity.”..