Interdict eases removal of shanties

Victor Mulangisi

It took close to sixteen days before there was sanity at the private developer’s property. All shanties that were seemingly leaning against the suburban houses in the vicinity were peacefully removed by a team of brigades assigned by the developer around 16:30 hours on November 04, 2020. The shanties were reduced to rubble and placed across the road of the developer’s site.

The property in dispute was invaded by the war veterans and activists. This was triggered by the initial council resolution that had granted the war veterans the site for residential purposes. However, due to the discovery of dolomite at the site, the Ga-Segonyana local municipality disposed of the land to a private owner through routine channels and offered the veterans an alternative land. The new property owner serviced the piece of land in question.

The veterans did not accept the alternative piece of land that was given to them and are still adamant. They insisted they wanted the original piece of land allocated to them through the 2013 council resolution. Without an amicable solution in sight veterans besieged the property and started building shanties in protest of the private developer.

Agitated by the hostile invasion of his property, the new owner took the legal route by seeking an interdict that prohibits intruders from occupying his property. He succeeded. Veterans left the property but shanties remained telling that there was an unaccomplished episode. Again, the private owner went to the high court seeking an interdict that would allow him through the sheriff to remove the sprawling shanties scattered around the property like false images used in a tomato garden to scare marauding birds.

The high court granted the interdict to the complainant allowing him to remove the shanties on his private property. The removal was well calculated to avoid any skirmishes as it was done late in the afternoon when everyone was preparing to go home. The private owner who preferred to remain anonymous said that he is into business and he should have done a lot had he not been disrupted.

Meanwhile the MKMVA provincial chairperson Mr Dexter Martins Mogatle has remained resolute that the courts shall determine their destiny. He said that their legal team has written to the district municipality, Ga-segonyana local municipality and COGHSTA requesting relevant documentation on the sale of the disputed land.

2595 MKMVA provincial chairperson Mr Dexter Martins Mogatle showing pieces of shanties reduced to rubble across the disputed site by the security brigade.