Allowing occupation illegal

The recent land grabs next to the M19 and Uitenhage roads are a culmination of a spate of informal settlements that have over the last year mushroomed in various parts of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.

In terms of the constitution, the illegal occupation of both public and private land is an unlawful act.

The DA has always cautioned and sensitised its colleagues from other political parties in council about the repercussions and the ripple effect of disregarding the law.

All this has fallen on deaf ears in pursuit of political expediency.

The motion bulldozed by the ANC and the EFF to place Nelson Mandela Bay evictions on hold in December 2017 will never pass the constitutionality test.

In terms of the Prevention of Illegal Eviction Act of 1997, municipalities are legally bound to act in averting illegal occupation by employing legal instruments empowered by law.

Failure to act will eventually see the municipality facing an avalanche of lawsuits.

This will have a negative impact on our future development plans.

The historic backlog in the delivery of houses has intensified the urgent need for housing.

This backlog speaks volumes about the housing delivery track record of the pre-2016 ANC administration.

The anarchy that has engulfed our city is a result of poor planning and decades of bad governance by the ANC.

It is a serious indictment of the ANC that some citizens have waited more than 20 years to receive houses.

The high-level strategy for the sustainable provision of housing was adopted this year at a municipal housing indaba.

It serves as a blueprint for the municipality, but will never see the light if there is no political will by the current administration.

The provincial department of human settlement must support our municipality in expediting the acquisition of land across the city.

These pieces of land must be used for diversified developments like social housing, RDP houses, student accommodation, business parks and social amenities.

A fair and transparent housing needs register, also known as the waiting list, needs to be rolled out to avoid further land invasions.

A DA-led administration will direct more funding to site and service schemes.

This is a self-help option which entitles beneficiaries to a plot with basic services such as water and electricity, and a full legal title.

This will be more compatible with urban densification than the current industrial delivery model.

Mxolisi Breakfast, councillor, Nelson Mandela Bay

municipality