Wells Estate shacks bulldozed

Angry residents blockade road after early morning demolition Hundreds of residents who had illegally occupied a piece of land in Wells Estate were left without a place to sleep last night after a bulldozer drove over their shacks early yesterday. The drama unfolded at about 7am when residents heard a whistle go off signalling that something was wrong – and found themselves dodging a bulldozer which was flattening their shacks. The municipality gave the instruction after obtaining a court order to have land invaders moved. The angry residents then blockaded roads leading to Motherwell. At about 2pm, the protesters dispersed and gathered along Nonjenga Street in Wells Estate where they sang struggle songs. A group returned to some of the main roads surrounding Motherwell at about 8pm, but members of the Public Order Policing unit stayed on-site through the night to monitor the situation. Resident Ncamile Nontyi, 42, said he was at a nearby shack when he heard screams that their shacks were being demolished.