Category Archives: land occupations

Brutal Attacks on the new Cato Manor Land Occupation

2 October 2017

Abahlali baseMjondolo Emergency Press Statement

Brutal Attacks on the new Cato Manor Land Occupation

The new land occupation in Cato Manor has ben subject to repeated violent attack by the eThekwini Municipality in violation of both the law and a court interdict. Until recently these attacks were aimed at destroying people’s homes.

But the Municipality is now using the Anti-Land Invasion Unit to attack the occupiers directly. On Saturday and Sunday, and again this morning, the occupiers were attacked by the Anti-Land Invasion Unit. They have set their dogs on people, beaten them with the butts of their guns and attacked them with their fists. Money and phones have been stolen.  Continue reading

GroundUp: Community leader shot dead after massive Khayelitsha land occupation

GroundUp

Community leader shot dead after massive Khayelitsha land occupation

Backyarders vow to continue battle for land

By Thembela Ntongana

1 June 2017

A group of Khayelitsha backyarders, who orchestrated a large land occupation in Cape Town two weeks ago have vowed to continue their fight for land. This follows the fatal shooting of one of the group’s leaders Mthunzi ‘Ras’ Zuma on Sunday night. Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said no arrests have been made.

One of the land occupiers, Mabhelandile Twani, said that they would not stop fighting for the land. “We will not stop even if it means I will die. I would have died fighting for a decent place to stay. The struggle continues,” he said. Continue reading

GroundUp: Massive land occupation in Khayelitsha

GroundUp, 19 May 2017

By

A massive land occupation is underway in Town Two, Khayelitsha, near the Magistrates’ Court with hundreds of sites demarcated on the land. If the occupiers are successful, thousands of people will live on the privately owned land.

The occupiers are backyarders from Town Two who say they are tired of renting and living with their parents, while an enormous piece of land stands empty. All the occupiers that GroundUp spoke to said the land had stood unoccupied since they were children.

“I’m a 42-year-old and I am living in my mother’s house,” said Thuliswa January Tshofela.

“We are sick and tired of backyards and renting,” said Liwa Mdleleni. Continue reading

GroundUp: Massive land occupation in Khayelitsha

GroundUp

Massive land occupation in Khayelitsha

Residents say the land has stood unoccupied for decades

Photo of land occupiers erecting shacks
Residents start to build houses on land in Town 2, Khayelitsha. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
By

 

A massive land occupation is underway in Town Two, Khayelitsha, near the Magistrates’ Court with hundreds of sites demarcated on the land. If the occupiers are successful, thousands of people will live on the privately owned land.

The occupiers are backyarders from Town Two who say they are tired of renting and living with their parents, while an enormous piece of land stands empty. All the occupiers that GroundUp spoke to said the land had stood unoccupied since they were children.

Continue reading

IOL: Private security to fight eThekwini land invasions

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/private-security-to-fight-ethekwini-land-invasions-1998144

Durban – eThekwini wants to use private security to help its land invasion unit combat illegal occupations – and it is willing to bypass regular tender processes to obtain their services.

“In the past few days, land invasion has been prevented in Umlazi – next to Mega City – Cato Crest and in a lot of other areas,” the city’s deputy manager for community and emergency services, Dr Musa Gumede, told Exco on Tuesday. Continue reading