Community threatens to occupy land
RESIDENTS of Vrygrond have vowed to illegally occupy a contested piece of land known as Xakabantu if mayor Patricia de Lille does not respond to their call for housing by Monday.
This is despite a meeting between the residents and the mayor on Wednesday, following violent housing protests in the area the preceding Monday and Tuesday.
“The meeting with the mayor went very well. We were surprised that she didn’t even know about the (Xakabantu) land,” community leader Daniel Nomavila said.
He applauded the mayor for holding talks with the residents. “We are very grateful to the mayor for listening to us and taking the time to meet with us,” he said.
A large number of police were in the area on Tuesday as protesters continued to burn tyres and other debris. The protest began on Monday evening, after residents complained of overcrowding in Vrygrond and lack of access to land. Residents barricaded roads and looted a Pick n Pay liquor store.
Nomavila said fed-up residents would occupy Xakabantu if De Lille did not respond to their demand. “If we don’t get an answer on Monday we will occupy that land, even though the mayor said we shouldn’t. The residents are upset,” he said.
De Lille’s spokesperson, Xolani Koyana, said the City of Cape Town would investigate the ownership of Xakabantu and whether or not residents could settle there.
“The City also briefed the Vrygrond development forum on ongoing plans for the area, including a housing project that would benefit thousands of residents,” Koyana said. De Lille would continue to engage with the residents and other communities.“The mayor intervened in the matter because it is important that concerns raised by residents are dealt with immediately.
“Mayor De Lille has, however, made it clear that these grievances should be raised in a peaceful manner and she is willing to provide a platform for residents to raise them,” he said.
The councillor for the area, Gerry Gordon, said after Wednesday’s meeting she was hopeful a resolution to the problem would be found. She said she had tried to understand the residents’ grievances, “but the question I have raised is, how does looting a liquor store (help resolve the issue) you are trying to bring forward?”