eThekwini land occupiers claim officials attacked them without warning

Khumbuzile Zungu, who was among those whose shacks were demolished on 8 October, shows the injuries she suffered after being shot at with rubber bullets. Photo: Tsoanelo Sefoloko

• Shack dwellers near Midway Crossing mall say they were shot at with rubber bullets and that their shacks were demolished after they tried to reason with municipal officials.
• The group say they built shacks on the land as they are unemployed and could not afford backyard rentals.
• But the municipality claims the group were “very violent”.

Land occupiers claim that eThewkini municipal police opened fire with rubber bullets without warning on Sunday 8 October and evicted about 50 people who had built shacks at the Richmond Farm informal settlement.

The municipality says there was violent resistance when it returned to demolish shacks in an operation that started on the Saturday.

Shacks were erected in early October on land about 14 kilometres from Durban city centre on Dumisani Makhaye Drive near Midway Crossing mall.

Community leader Khumbuzile Zungu said they received no official notice warning them their shacks were to be demolished.

“The police shot me with rubber bullets while I was trying to ask about the eviction letter from the court,” said Zungu.

“We grew up in this area so we’re really shocked. Why doesn’t our ward councillor give us land so that we can erect shacks?” she asked.

Wiseman Mtshali said he was hospitalised after being shot with rubber bullets. “When I was trying to talk to them [officials], I was told that I must shut up and move away. While I was trying to go, they shot me with the rubber bullets and I collapsed. Then they beat me while I was on the ground.”

Ntombikhona Mngqayi said the municipality confiscated their building materials so they have now built shelters using plastic. It has been raining since the demolitions.

Community members say shack demolitions took place on Saturday and Sunday.

Mngqayi said they are all former backyarders. They met on 29 September and decided to build shacks on Richmond Farm land, as they could no longer afford rentals. Most of the occupiers are unemployed and already owe large sums in arrears.

She said she would have understood if the municipal officials had approached them peacefully and talked to them about removing their shacks rather than “treating us as if we are animals”.

Ward 38 Councillor Muzi Thusi (ANC) said the occupation could not be condoned, especially since they had been building above underground pipes.

“It is better to evict them now instead of waiting for them to build proper houses,” said Thusi.

He said there was no vacant land available in Durban.

EThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said that after complaints were received from the public, the municipality responded, “guided by our standard operating procedures”.

“The land belongs to the council,” she said.

Sisilana said on Saturday 7 October the municipality “had an operation wherein we experienced resistance from the invaders where we were demolishing unoccupied structures”.

She said when the municipality returned on 8 October, it “found invaders waiting for us and they became very violent towards us”. She said the municipality managed to demolish the structures that the occupiers were busy rebuilding.

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