Property development company Cosmopolitan Projects Johannesburg has filed an urgent application to interdict Black First Land First (BLF) members from invading or illegally building on the company’s property.
The land‚ on three properties totaling about 700 hectares‚ is situated on the border between Ekurhuleni and Midvaal in Gauteng.
Cosmopolitan also wants to interdict BLF and its members from illegally protesting at the properties or committing any acts of violence against the company’s employees.
The company also wants to interdict BLF and its members from interfering in any way with the company’s development operations at the property.
It gave the organisation until noon on Thursday to indicate whether it intends to oppose the application‚ which is set to be heard in the high court in Johannesburg next Tuesday.
Cosmopolitan has recently started a housing development in the area‚ which includes eight show houses‚ a storm water system and roads.
BLF Ekurhuleni chairman Sipho Zwane said members of the community who had been evicted from the area in which they had lived for many years‚ came to the organisation for assistance.
“We went there to stop the project and gave the developers seven days to address our concerns‚” Zwane said.
BLF national spokesman Zanele Lwana said BLF was under the impression that “white monopoly capital and racists” were running to the courts to paralyse BLF’s efforts to deal with the issue of land dispossession.
“We are in consultation with our legal team on what is the best way to deal with the matter‚” Lwana said.
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