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Tuesday 1 May 2012
INVADED: Backyard dwellers who have set their sights on vacant land off Vanguard Drive have been prevented from occupying the land.
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REMOVED: Law enforcement agencies removed hundreds of illegal squatters from the land on Freedom Day. Photos: Yunus Mohamed
Freedom Day invasion halted MELISSA PAPIER
E
MOTIONS ran high as plans to occupy vacant land on Freedom Day were cut short.
Hundreds of families had intended to illegally occupy private and state-owned land in the Philippi Horticultural area off Vanguard Drive. They were, however, evicted by the AntiLand Invasion Unit and the police. This action follows an interim court order to halt the illegal occupation. On Friday, families pulled up alongside the road with material to build shacks on the vacant land. The owners went to the Western Cape High Court yesterday to obtain a court order to remove the invaders from the land. At the time of going to press, the ruling could not be established. The invaded land belongs to private owners and the road reserve to the City of Cape Town.
The vacant area, which borders Vanguard Drive, falls in Ward 75 and includes Colorado Park, Highlands Village, Hyde Park, Morgans Village, Philippi, Rondevlei Park, Weltevreden Valley, Westgate, Wildwood and Woodlands. Ward councillor Natalie Bent explained to People’s Post that various attempts have been made this year to invade the land. Bent says: “The area has been invaded eight times since February and the City has advised the owners of the private land to get an interim court interdict to have the invaders removed from the land.” She adds that two weeks before this recent invasion attempt, a group of 30 people came to her offices at the Colorado Community hall, demanding that she provide houses. A week later the land was invaded by backyard dwellers. “The community has informed me that people with ANC t-shirts transported some of the invaders’ belongings to the land and assisted the backyard dwellers,” she says.
The City’s Safety and Security executive director, Richard Bosman, says the City assisted property owners by preventing invaders from accessing their property through cityowned land. Bosman says: “Cars and bakkies have been pulling up alongside Vanguard Drive trying to gain access to the land from the road. We have stopped this and we are monitoring the situation.” During the long weekend the City of Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion Unit, Metro Police and the police were on high alert for any further invasions. The units are on stand-by daily and are monitoring the situation. The invaders are believed to be backyard dwellers from all over Cape Town. The illegal invasion have also affected a nearby business. Achmat Carr, owner of a wholesaler, tells People’s Post that since the invasion his business has been affected negatively. His shop is situated next to the invaded land.
Carr says there has been “an increase in break-ins and shoplifting ever since the land was invaded”. “Big groups of people come into the shop and we try to do our best to prevent this, but they are too much to control. With all the shacks going up, it is bound to decrease the value of our property and that is a huge concern.” Mark Brookes, the Colorado Park Community Police Forum (CPF) subforum chairperson, says the invasion smacks of being “orchestrated” and that neighbourhood watch members were monitoring the situation. Brookes says: “Expensive vehicles pulled up at the sight on Friday helping the backyard dwellers to erect their shacks. The invasion is a concern to us because with these sorts of invasions we find many criminals who will take the opportunity to exploit the situation.” People’s Post was unable to gain comment from the owners of the private land at the time of going to print.
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