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The recent demolition of over 80 illegal structures in Alexandra has brought to the fore a brewing animosity between residents who have long been residing in Alexandra and those who have just moved into the township.
Before the South African Human Rights Commission, residents who have been residing in the township for years have pointed fingers at the Economic Freedom Fighters as the party causing mayhem as its supporters are apparently encouraging new arrivals to occupy any piece of land that is unoccupied.
Addressing these allegations before the commission of inquiry into the Alexandra situation, EFF Gauteng provincial chairperson Mandisa Mashego said if EFF supporters were encouraging people to occupy unused land they were only doing so in line with the party’s programme.
“We have stated already that land occupation is an EFF programme which was duly adopted by the party at its 2014 people’s national assembly and is detailed in the party’s manifesto.”
She added that the land occupation was “actually very organised and necessitated by black people finding themselves in situations where they are forced by circumstances to find shelter outside the usual government initiatives”.
Mashego made the remarks during her testimony before the commission on Thursday when she gave her account of what she saw when she went to the site where the structures were demolished.
When pushed by the commission on whether she did not think it irresponsible for the party to encourage people to occupy land illegally, Mashego reiterated that “this is how most townships have been expanded”.
“Take Soweto as an example, people migrating to the township had to first occupy unused land until the municipalities granted the title deeds and legalised such occupations. It is not the EFF encouraging the occupations, it is the current realities facing black South Africans that have forced them to reside under such appalling conditions,” she said.
“I find it a bit suspect that you would say that Alexandra residents are complaining about the illegal occupation of lan; the whole of Alexandra is an illegal occupation. You can go and see the conditions under which residents are living,” said a passionate Mashego.
Residents who have been residing in Alexandra for many years, some off whom were the organisers of the #ShutDownAlexandra protests, have allegedly challenged Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba’s proposed rebuilding of the over 80 demolished structures, saying the individuals residing there were not originally from the area.
They accused them of moving into the township from the inner city from where they were allegedly evicted.
Mashego said it was unfair for South Africans to not have a place to reside while there remains so much unused land where people can occupy.
“Near the area where the demolitions happened there is a large unoccupied piece of land that allegedly belongs to the University of the Witwatersand. We have approached the university to try and reach some form of consensus with them to allow our homeless people to reside on this land,” she said.
She also raised concerns over the use of the Red Ants in evictions, saying that the company was “brutal in the manner in which it evicts our people”.
“In my knowledge, the Red Ants have never demolished structures belonging to either people of Indian descent or white people the same way they go about demolishing poor black people’s homes,” said a visibly emotional Mashego.
At the commission yesterday, Johannesburg city manager Ndivhoniswani Lukhwareni took responsibility for the demolition of more than 80 houses in Alexandra.
He claimed to have been wrongfully informed that no one lived in the structures.
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