Gauteng rushes to court over land invasion in Alberton

The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development has gone to the High Court in Johannesburg to stop the invasion of state-owned land in Alberton, Ekurhuleni.

The move follows complaints from residents of Randhart Extension 2 and surrounding areas that people were illegally erecting shacks and other structures near their suburb.

The new occupants have also allegedly been illegally connecting water and electricity to municipal infrastructure, potentially disrupting services in the area.

In a letter seen by* The Citizen*, Thapelo Tlhakodi, department director of acquisitions and disposals, said the department was taking legal action concerning affected government land parcels in Randhart Extension 2.

“The office of the state attorney has been instructed to urgently approach the high court for interim and final interdictory relief against identified respondents, unknown occupiers and anyone acting through them,” Tlhakodi said.

He said the requested court order would seek to prevent the respondents from:

• Occupying any additional state-owned properties;
• Selling, transferring, marketing or purporting to dispose of any state-owned property;
• Continuing construction activities on state-owned land;
• Erecting any future structures;
• Installing municipal services or infrastructure;
• Allowing further invasion of the affected properties; and
• Alienating or granting rights in respect of the properties.

“The state attorney has been instructed to bring the application urgently, because invasions and construction activities are continuing on the properties,” Tlhakodi said.

Don’t take the law into your own hands

Freedom Front Plus councillor in Ekurhuleni Rudolf Herbst said he was pleased with the latest developments, particularly the letter from the department confirming legal action was being taken against the land invasion.

“There has now been a significant and encouraging development regarding the situation in Randhart Extension 2,” said Herbst.

“I have received written confirmation from the Gauteng department saying the office of the state attorney has been instructed to urgently institute high court proceedings seeking interim and final interdictory relief in relation to the affected state-owned properties.

“I welcome this development and appreciate the department providing a substantive response.”

He said for weeks his primary concern has been that construction and apparent marketing of these properties were continuing, while frustrated residents were becoming increasingly concerned about what was happening in their neighbourhood.

“I have repeatedly appealed to residents not to take the law into their own hands,” Herbst said.