Land grab anarchy

LAND invasions are going to perpetuate anarchy and mayhem if this trend continues.

The land grab in Bonela seems to be politically orchestrated.

Leaders who encourage land grabs are creating a false sense of hope among the homeless.

It is only the municipality in collaboration with all role players, including the shack dwellers, that can charter a way forward to solve the housing crisis.

The homeless are fully aware of the wastage coupled with high levels of corruption in government that are robbing them of the basic needs in life, such as decent accommodation.

When citizens are aware of the unrelenting abuse of taxpayers’ money, they have every right to agitate for, and demand, service delivery.

However, the invasion of municipal and private land is not the answer to this multifaceted challenge.

Land earmarked for housing development must be allowed to continue.

Shack dwellers allocated houses need to be monitored to ensure they are staying in those houses, and not renting them out.

The voters’ role together with their identity numbers need to be used in the allocation of houses.

A database of the beneficiaries of these homes needs to be compiled.

Anyone found renting out their homes must be criminally charged.

This could be one way of curtailing the phenomenon of shack lords.

Every person needs a roof over their heads as this provides dignity to people and families.

The fight for shelter needs to be fought strategically.

Turning the issue of housing into a racial or political issue complicates matters.

The focus has to be on when respective housing developments will commence, the number of units, the projected completion date and ultimately the method used to allocate the units.

A memorandum of understanding needs to be fostered among all the shack dwellers so they are aware of all the procedures.

Ultimately, land invasions are counterproductive, serving only to stifle growth and development. Vijay Surujpal Phoenix, KZN