The EFF in Mangaung said they were disappointed and dismayed by the City’s decision to remove the Lourierpark residents from the land they occupied.
The EFF caucus leader in the municipality, Gopalang Lipale, told The Star on Monday that it was strange that the municipality would take such action while the mayor had come out publicly telling residents that they can occupy the land.
Lipale said the party supported residents and any move that sought to allow residents to occupy the land in Lourierpark.
“Our view as the EFF is that we support the move to occupy the land. We reject what the municipality is doing, even the mayor said people must occupy the land, a few minutes later the municipal manager sends out a media statement opposing what the mayor said.
“And strangely enough the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), the alliance of the ruling party, was the one championing this land invasion,” he said.
Lipale said the government should be grateful that people were no longer fighting over RDP houses but were now instead fighting for land to build houses for themselves.
Meanwhile, the DA welcomed the municipality’s action to remove residents of Lourierpark, through a court order obtained on Saturday.
According to the court judgment, the municipality must report to the DA bi-weekly each succeeding week on the progress made and steps taken to implement the court order and the process and progress made.
“While the matter is not yet resolved, affected property owners and residents can stand assured that the DA will use the court-ordered oversight of the process to ensure that their rights and the law are upheld.
“The ANC government continues to prove that it does not have the capacity or willingness to provide basic services such as ensuring land, housing and title deeds to residents.
“The ANC is solely to blame for the suffering of those who moved to the area, possibly even on the advice of the ANC.
“DA ward 18 councillor, Dave McKay, continues to monitor the situation in the area. We call for the law and the judicial system to be given the necessary space needed to rectify the situation,” the DA’s provincial premier candidate Roy Jankielsohn said.
Jankielsohn said Free State residents mustn’t allow the anarchy displayed during these land grabs to become standard.
Attempts to get comments from both Sanco spokesperson Gift Poli and Mangaung spokesperson Qondile Khedama were unsuccessful by the time of going to print.
The Star