Land grab protests move to Protea Glen

Sanele Gumada

Protea Glen in Soweto became an unlikely battleground in the fight for land yesterday as invaders clashed with residents.

Residents took to the streets to protest in the early hours of the morning, affecting several roads.

They barricaded roads and demanded housing and access to land after another group of people from outside the area apparently attempted to occupy vacant land in the area.

“The residents don’t want anyone to come into the area and erect shacks in open spaces next to their houses,” said SA Police Service (Saps) spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubela.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd and to clear blocked roads.

“We cleared the roads at 2pm and there was no damage to any property,” he said.

Makhubela said police would continue to monitor the area, as the crowd had remained alongside the pavements.

Human settlements MEC Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa called on government representatives to meet to resolve land and housing problems.

“Government representatives in all spheres should be aware that they are elected by people to serve them,” he said.

Uhuru added that he would meet with all the Gauteng mayors in a bid to resolve the issue.

Pictures: Michel Bega ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Protea Glen residents protest along the R559 yesterday after an attempted land grab in the area. The residents warned the land invaders to stay away from a piece of land near the Soweto suburb.