By 
Mangaung Metro in the Free State Province experienced an escalation in land grabs last year spreading across the City. The metro says it has worked tirelessly to resolve the pressing matter of land.
The magnitude of land grabs came to the limelight when residents invaded land in the southern suburbs of Bloemfontein, Lorriepark; local residents stood their ground saying they don’t want the land invaders next to their homes. The Democratic Alliance (DA) championed a court interdict to prevent people from invading the land and for them to be evicted, the DA eventually won.
Another one occurred in Botshabelo, east of Bloemfontein. Residents invaded the land next to the industrial park and close to the N8, they later blocked the N8 demanding services from the municipality. Recently CENTLEC announced that they are connecting the informal settlement to the grid.
Though there is a genuine need for land and housing, the Executive Mayor of Mangaung Metro Cllr Gregory Nthatisi said during a media briefing on Monday, 9 February, there are people who take advantage of these land grabs, not for housing purposes but to acquire rental stock.
Nthatisi said the City experienced an increase in land invasions; however, some of the land invaded is not suitable for human settlement mainly because of waterlogged land and land designated for essential public amenities such as clinics, schools and parks.
“The Metro has engaged extensively to find solutions to the current situation and as a result, we have identified parcels of land where residents can be relocated. The municipality is working tirelessly to ensure that residents without accommodation are allocated sites with access to basic services including water,” said the Executive Mayor Nthatisi.
To counter opportunists, Cllr Greogory Nthatisi said the City has engaged with a number of stakeholders to ensure that the rightful and deserving individuals are relocated. He said he is concerned about some people who are motivated by greed who are seeking to use the sites to build rental stock rather than secure housing for themselves.
“I have come across numerous requests from residents who are genuinely in need, and as City, we have a mandate to provide with land so that the National Department of Human Settlements can build houses for them,” said Nthatisi.
