Lapland residents fight eviction

ARMED with stones, burning branches, tyres, buckets and wash basins, Lapland informal settlement residents yesterday shut all roads leading into their area in an effort to keep the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality from demolishing their shacks.

The municipality was granted an order in May to demolish the shacks in Uitenhage within six months if the residents did not leave voluntarily.

According to Ward 45 councillor Monde Faltein, the shacks were set to be demolished yesterday and today.

The angry residents, who barricaded the roads at the corner of Lovebird and Kamesh avenues at 5am, vowed to burn any municipal trucks that entered the area to carry out the high court order.

Led by community leader Maggie Jacobs, the residents have threatened to keep the area burning every day until the municipality forcibly evicts them.

Standing next to the stones and fire blocking the roads, Jacobs said no one from the municipality would be allowed to go in.

"We will show the metro our true colours if they insist on evicting us," she said.

"Our people are suffering and have been promised houses since 1994, and yet there are young people with no families moving into RDP houses in the area.

"We are sick and tired of this metro. They can burn my house down and I will fight till I die. They [municipal officials] must know that these are human beings and they cannot just move them when they feel like it," Jacobs said.

The area has about 600 shacks which house almost 1000 people, according to the residents.

By midday, residents who were not part of the protest were trying to force their way through the barricades, with swear words flying between the two groups. Police were eventually called in at about lunchtime when the protesters refused to let taxis and cars through the barricades.

Police used water cannons to put out the burning tyres and to open the road.

Police spokesman Warrant Officer Basil Seekoei said they would maintain a high visibility in the area until the situation stabilised.

"We cannot allow lawlessness and disruption. If they break the law during the protest they will be arrested."

Faltein said they had been pleading with the residents to leave the area since last year as it was earmarked for a school.

"They invaded the land early last year, and when they did not heed the call to vacate, the municipality had to take them to court.

"They were given six months since the court order and they have still not vacated the land," he said.

"The six months ended in November, and even then we talked to them asking them to demolish [the shacks]. Some wanted to, but were threatened by some of the leaders.

"They will be evicted either today or by the end of the week," he said.

EFF and COPE members spent the day with the residents, with COPE's Khwezi Ntshanyana calling for the protesters to keep fighting peacefully, and saying it was too close to the holidays for them to move.

Municipal spokesman Roland Williams said there was an eviction order issued six months ago on Lapland residents and the metro was due to evict them this week once public order police were available.

"The sheriff is ready and eviction will proceed accordingly. I am confident that prior to any notices being served, due and proper process was followed." - Thulani Gqirana