Paintball guns stop Durban land invasion

Matthew Savides | 02 November, 2015 00:06

WE WILL BE BACK: Members of the eThekwini Municipality Security Management Unit confront land invaders who were about to start building shacks at Puntans Hill in Morningside, Durban, yesterday. After a tense stand-off the people agreed to meet all stakeholders today
Image by: RAJESH JANTILAL

Metro police, armed with paintball guns, clashed with about 100 land invaders yesterday to prevent them from illegally occupying vacant land in Durban's Morningside suburb.

The group, many of whom live in the neighbouring Kennedy Road informal settlement, used pangas and spades to clear the thick bush along Silver Willow Road from 6.30am yesterday. Just hours later stands had been prepared and people wereplanning to erect shacks.

But at about 10am, the eThekwini Municipality's Security Management Unit arrived and fired paintballs into the bush. One man was hit above the eye and several others were hit on their arms and torsos.

After moving out of the bush, the group gathered on the road and demanded to speak to the ward councillor, Bheki Ngcobo. He failed to arrive.

"Some of us have been waiting for 15 or 20 years for land," said Themba Mkhize, who led the group. "This morning we decided to build our houses here because we are tired of waiting."

Mkhize lashed out at Ngcobo: "The councillor is useless, there is no other way to put it. He must come here and speak to us."

Ngcobo said he had chosen to "ignore" the group because they were acting illegally.

"It's not proper for me to meet people who are on the wrong side of the law. If they are invading the land, that is illegal. I contacted law enforcement agencies . and I told them that if there are any shacks that mushroom up there, they must take them down," he said.

Ngcobo accused the group of invading the land for financial gain.

"These are just people who want to generate an income. They sell these sites for R7000 each," he said.

After a tense stand-off the group dispersed at 11.30am but promised they would be back this morning
.