A land grab has been underway in an East London village for over a week.
The Daily Dispatch visited Bongweni village, near the East London Airport and met with aggrieved residents who said they had taken matters into their own hands when they occupied a strip of vacant land across from the village.
Daily Dispatch saw close to 100 people beavering away on their 225m² plots, marking out the corners with gum poles, nailing zinc together, clearing bush, and digging pole holes with spades.
Residents, many of them in their 20s, said it had become difficult living with many family members under one roof.
“I am unemployed and still living at home in a small one-room shack with five other people including my young baby.
“We have no private space and we struggle to gain our independence. I have been on this site day in and day out working with my baby on my back,” said 21-year- old Eyona George.
“Most of us do not have a thing. We go around asking and helping each other with building tools. For example, I had a lot of nails in my house and I saw people who needed them so I distributed them. We share whatever we have with each other,” said Nokulunga Matholengwe.
Another resident, Thobani Nogaga, 25, said he had heard about the land claim rush from a relative.
“I am currently renting a shack in Bongweni. I am tired because I do not have a place of my own. My cousin told me about what was going on and I decided to come and get some space for myself,” said Nogaga.
A 52-year-old father of two said claiming a piece of land would be better for his family.
“I saw a better opportunity this side. It is more spacious here and I do not want my children living in cramped conditions. In future I want them to all have their own space,” said Bathini Ndiyalwa.
Ndiyalwa went on to say that the piece of land they were occupying had been vacant for many years.“This plot has been left unattended to for a long time. It used to belong to a farmer but after he died nothing happened,” said Ndiyalwa.One of the residents said they all decided on an equal distribution of the land.“Everyone is getting 15m by 15m of land here,” said Masibulele Mnamana.Attempts to get comment from BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya were unsuccessful. Additional reporting by Nanza Platana...