Pretoria - The Gauteng Local Government and Housing Department has expressed deep concern at the continued illegal selling and purchasing of land from syndicates operating in Lenasia.
"What we are disappointed in is that despite the fact that this is on the news, people are continuing to buy the land and the syndicates are continuing to sell the land. So we are still going to go ahead and demolish the houses... We have a court order to demolish houses that are illegally built on our land," said department spokesperson Motsamai Motlhaolwa on Monday.
The department was granted a court order in September last year for the demolition of houses built on illegally sold government-owned land.
Official demolitions of houses that have been illegally built in Lenasia started in the second week of November, where 51 houses in Lenasia Extension 13 were demolished. The department said all 113 structures earmarked for demolition were currently not occupied by any household or family. Operations continued in the area on Monday.
Motlhaolwa said officials would see to it that the phenomenon of the illegal sale of land came to an end.
The department said the objective of the first phase of the operation was to target all the unoccupied properties as well as vacant stands with perimeter walls for demolitions.
"On the day of the operation, our officials -- working on site with the police -- also ensured that all the properties were not occupied before the demolitions were carried out.
"We are satisfied that the demolitions were as humane as possible by making sure that families were not directly affected by the operation," said the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Ntombi Mekgwe.
According to the department, notices have been issued to all the occupied houses and demolitions were planned to be carried out as part of phase two of the demolition process.
The department was also dismayed by some individuals who came to the scene upon hearing about the demolitions, claiming they were displaced as a result of the operation.
"We are aware that some individuals who had paraded themselves before the media were not living in the structures that were demolished.
"We also noted that some journalists and other people who went to the site later were taking their stories without carefully verifying the facts," said the department in a statement.
The department said there was no need to provide alternative shelter as the properties were not occupied.
The court order also did not compel the department to provide alternative accommodation, given the financial status of the illegal occupants.
The department was also engaging a number of stakeholders on the matter including civic organisations, NGOs, religious movements, political parties and other interested parties and would remain open to all the recommendations being brought forward. - SAnews.gov.za
