Law enforcement agents of the Mangaung Metro Municipality (MMM) foiled the attempts of a group of people to forcibly occupy two of three sports fields in Phahameng, Bloemfontein.
These attempts were made by land grabbers who erected shack dwellings on the two fields, Royal Knights and Black Hearts, during the week of 2 to 9 March.
Several dwellings were erected for residential purposes by people claiming they were homeless and had waited too long for the allocation of houses. The municipality was alerted to people having already erected shack dwellings on both fields, mainly used by football clubs of youngsters in the Phahameng and Joe Slovo areas.
A lack of maintenance of facilities by the municipality appears to fuel invasion of the sports fields by people
Numerous sports fields in the newly formed residences in Phase areas and Turflaagte, where children should be playing, have been taken for residential purposes. The sports fields already taken include that where Turfflowers FC and Students FC.
The foiled attempt to take over the two sport fields in Phahameng came in the wake of the mass invasion of the farm Brandkop 702 in Lourierpark during the period in question. The forceful act of invading the farm saw the police clash with land grabbers, with tension reaching boiling point in the wake of resistance of people to vacate the farm.
This led to the arrest of at least 13 people regarding their resistance to vacate the farm, which has not been developed. These ten men and three women were arrested by members of Public Order Police (Pop) for contravention of a court order. The stand-off came in the event of disgruntled land invaders blocking the R706 road connecting traffic to Jagersfontein using debris, stones and burning tyres.
The municipality then maximised its power by enlisting the Red Ants, a security relocation and eviction service, to remove tens of land invaders from the farm on 8 March.
