The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will engage with police in an effort curb land invasions and vandalism which are on the increase in the province‚ MEC Paul Mashatile says. “We want the police to apprehend and bring to book whoever is responsible for the criminal activities in the form of arson and vandalism‚” Mashatile said on Thursday‚ adding that the invasions and vandalism were robbing people of what was due to them. This comes as the department is assessing the damage caused by land invaders who vandalised and torched RDP houses in Kagiso extension 13 near Krugersdorp earlier this week. Mashatile recently visited the houses to check the progress in order for them to be allocated to beneficiaries. “The houses were close to completion‚ the contractor was on the final stages. The damage will delay the allocation process. Beneficiaries will have to spend more time in shacks as we have to assess the damages and repair them‚” he said. The MEC said that the damage to the houses also affected the department’s budget. “When budgeting for the project there is no money allocated for repairing work that is done. Repairing the houses will therefore mean that some other project will suffer‚” he said. Mashatile also expressed his disappointment at the people who invaded the land near the houses.“We call on people not to be misled by self-serving people posing as leaders. The people behind the invasion do not want the area to develop. There is already development in that land‚ invading it will delay any plans government had for it‚” he said. The MEC said that the land invaded was part of the Leratong Nodal Development which was a MEGA catalytic project of the National Department of Human Settlements The project will include a housing development‚ a transport hub‚ government precinct and a shopping centre...