The Bulletin Newspaper - 30 August 2019

Page 1

ISSUE 239 - FREE

30

AUGUST 2019

COMMUNITY NEWS. ORIGINAL - ACCURATE - FIRST

017 631 1903 / 017 631 1845 • admin@thebulletin.co.za • 1 Kiewiet Street, Secunda (Lake Umuzi)

Forced evictions at Sakhisizwe

R

esidents of Sakhisizwe near Evander had to stand and watch as their dwellings were destroyed on Tuesday, 20 August. The community had been served with an eviction notice during November last year but entered into negotiations with Sasol, the legal landowners. The Bulletin spoke to Chief Mahlangu who stated; “We are not here to interfere but to observe, this is a legal process.” It is alleged that a Community Property Association was (CPA) formed. The CPA was mandated to handle the negotiations and to keep the community informed. This allegedly never happened. “Some of the CPA members do not even stay in the community,” said Chief Mahlangu. One of the “Landowners” told The Bulletin that he bought the stand for R12000. He also spent R35000 on building his house. “I have nowhere to go to,” he said to The Bulletin as he stood between his belongings. The people that sold the stands are allegedly living in the RDP section but were nowhere to be found when the evictions took place. Evander Police called for the defrauded people to come forward and submit their statements together with the proof of any document they received or receipts to prove that they had bought stands at Enkomeni (Sakhisizwe). Sgt Sibusiso Mbuli, spokesperson for Evander SAPS, said that a docket of fraud was already opened and they did encourage people to submit their statements so that the police could investigate. Alex Anderson, Head of Group Media Relations of Sasol released the following press statement: To ensure the safety of community members, the Secunda Sheriff with assistance from a private security company and the SAPS, evicted a group of unlawful land occupiers in Evander. The occupiers had built structures on land owned by the Sakhisizwe Communal Property Association (CPA) and a registered servitude of Sasol Mining. Amongst reasons placed before the court (when Sakhisizwe CPA and Sasol Mining obtained a court interdict on 4 December 2018) is that the area is unstable and prone to cracking due to past and current mining operations. The illegal occupants therefore face serious safety risks. In the spirit of openness, transparency and mutual respect, the Secunda Sheriff on multiple occasions engaged with the unlawful Sakhisizwe occupants and served them with a notice and court order informing them to move. Regrettably the notice and court order were both ignored and the community continued to build more informal houses, leading to forced evictions by the Sheriff. Sasol always aims to proactively engage stakeholders and to build mutually beneficial relationships. The eviction action was a last resort after numerous unsuccessful engagements with the community.

The safety and security of Sakhisizwe community members remain a top priority. Community members are also advised to refrain from paying any monies to individuals to buy stands on Sakhisizwe as this land is unsafe and not for sale. The police were present to maintain order but no reports of violence were received.


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