200 illegal shacks demolished in Ekurhuleni
Hundreds of residents were left homeless on Tuesday when the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements destroyed more than 200 shacks in Palm Ridge.
The department says the shacks were built on illegally invaded land.
The demolition of the shacks comes after a year the community launched a legal challenge to the province’s plan to remove them.
They subsequently lost the application.
"Following a protracted court battle that started in December 2022, the High Court granted the department an eviction order in January 2023," said the department’s spokesperson, Tahir Sema.
The land was meant for the department's Ikageleng Rapid Land Release Programme.
Sema adds that the community also used illegally connected electricity, water and sewer systems.
"The invasion disrupted an important programme of the department, the Ikageleng Rapid Land Release Programme, which is meant for deserving beneficiaries who had waited a long time on our waiting list.
"This programme allocates serviced stands with water, electricity and sewer connections to qualifying beneficiaries who earn from R3,501 to R22,000 and can build houses for themselves. The department will not hesitate to evict those who invade land and property."
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