Pretoria - Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has warned community members against buying and illegally occupying municipal land as they will face being evicted and arrested.
The metro said this in the wake of on-going land invasions around Ekurhuleni, specifically in Tembisa and Tsakane, where community members forcefully and illegally occupied land belonging to the council.
The metro said it is obliged to protect and preserve land with the purpose of using it for future developments such as housing, businesses, churches, sporting facilities, roads and agricultural projects.
The metro said illegal occupation of vacant land without proper approval from the municipality poses life threatening risks, as most land within its boundaries is either dolomitic, lies on the flood line or over old mines, is water locked or is not in line with the metro’s urban development plan.
Acting metro spokesperson Lebogang Ramashala said: “Fighting the scourge of land invasions requires joint participation of all stakeholders. Members of the public are encouraged to contact the local authority when they detect people invading council owned land.”
The metor called on members of the public to contact Ekurhuleni Customer Care Centres or phone the Ekurhuleni Services Call Centre on 0860 453 000 to report land invasion. - SAnews.gov.za
