STAFF REPORTER
THE JOHANNESBURG High Court has granted the Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing an order to evict 163 illegal occupants in Lenasia Extension 13, south of Joburg.
The court order, which also authorises the department to demolish the illegally built structures, comes after the land invaders took the government to court to prevent the demolition of the houses built on government-owned land.
The court ruled that the 162 applicants be ordered to vacate the stands and remove or demolish any structure they might have erected on the stands within 30 days of receiving the order.
The court further ordered that should the applicants fail to remove or demolish these structures within 30 days, the department would have the right to carry the order.
Commenting after the judgment, MEC for Local Government and Housing Humphrey Mmemezi warned that the provincial government had declared war on land invasions and illegal occupation of RDP houses in the province.
“The court order confirms our position as the Gauteng government that we will not tolerate land invasions from any sector of society, regardless of the economic status of the people involved.
“We further advise the communities to take a lesson from this judgment and be aware there are fraudsters posing as agents of the department and selling land at very cheap prices. If land is being sold to you, verify ownership of the property with the Registrar of Deeds before paying or occupying the land,” Mmemezi said.