Gauteng Human Settlements evicts Syferfontein occupants
The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements says it has implemented a court order to remove people who had illegal occupied land in Syferfontein.
The land in Syferfontein is earmarked for one of the 31 Mega Human Settlements development the department is busy with.
The department says it is currently in the process of developing Syferfontein and putting bulk service in that area and land invasion is frustrating this development.
Departmental spokesperson Keith Khoza says more than 600 people were evicted with the help of the South African Police Services, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Red Ants and West Rand Metro Police.
Khoza says the department has taken drastic steps to obtain an urgent court order to evict the people.
"We are discouraging people from invading land as it delays development and today's action was to show that government will not sit and watch when anarchy prevails. Land invasion will not be tolerated anywhere in Gauteng," says Khoza.
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Khoza says the department is not going to tolerate such counter development behaviour which undermines development and progress of services delivery.
He says this is a strong message that they will deal decisively with those invading land illegally.
"We call upon community leaders to work with government to discourage illegal land invasion in their communities that they lead. People should stop frustrating the programmes of development by government because it disadvantages to poor," says Khoza.
Khoza says he even though there was minor resistance from the illegal occupants, police managed to evict them without any of them being injured.