Rabie Ridge: Residents Fight to Occupy Land, Security Fires Shots
- Land invaders in Johannesburg had both armed security and police officers called on them on Sunday
- Reports say that the invaders were attempting to set informal dwellings up in a vacant privately owned area
- One of the land invaders alleged that the land they were attempting to occupy had been vacant for years
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Before police arrived to disperse a crowd of protestors who were burning tyres, reports say that private security opened fire on the land invaders. The incident occurred in Rabie Ridge in Johannesburg.
The invaders allegedly have been causing issues with the police who have been trying to evict them since last week. The invaders reportedly want to erect their informal dwellings on private property.
It has not yet been made clear who owns the 800 hectares of land but the invaders are fighting to start an informal settlement on the land. In response to the attempt of the land invasion on the area, the owners called armed security before the police arrived.
Source: Getty Images
In a report by eNCA, it was revealed that the incident occurred on Sunday after the community members of Rabie Ridge attempted to erect their shacks. Speaking to IOL, one of the land invaders stated that the area had been empty since 1986.
The man went on to say that he doesn't see any wrong in forcibly taking the land.
In similar news, Briefly News reported that there has been a rise in land invasions in Cape Town. Reports say that between 30 000 and 40 000 informal dwellings are now sitting on sand dunes, railway reserves, public land and even churches.
These areas do not have running water or ablution facilities. Since March last year, over 1 025 land invasion incidents have occurred in the Mother City. The sheer number of informal settlements on the rise has cost the Western Cape government around R116 million.
Member of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature Matlhodi Maseko says that often people don't know that the areas they are invading are not made for housing developments, thus placing the new residents and their homes at extreme risks.
According to BusinessLIVE, there have been some unique naming choices of the informal settlements. Names such as "Ramaphosa", "Covid" and "Sanitiser" are just a few of the memorable ones.
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Source: Briefly News
