Eastern Cape council gets court order to evict 'illegal' land occupants

The Ntabankulu local municipality in the Eastern Cape has obtained a court order to evict community members illegally occupying land in Ndakeni village.

“The community ignored countless attempts for engagement, which forced the municipality to start the process of demolition of the structures erected over the past few weeks,” said municipal manager Luleka Nonyongo.

Nonyongo said the land in question is currently under a claim that was made by the Amanci traditional council, which after a settlement was to hand the land over to the municipality for future urban developments.

“The municipality encourages land claims to be lodged wherever necessary. Such a process must be done through the Land Claims Commission as the final arbiter on land tenure claims and rights - and not through illegal invasion,” she said.

“We encourage continuous engagement between traditional councils, the municipality and all affected parties on land disputes, in order to resolve them peacefully and within the rule of the South African constitution and statutes.”