A concerned local has expressed mounting frustration over the increasing number of squatters setting up camp along the N2 highway in Somerset West.
In an attempt to find a solution to the problem, the resident turned to DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette bemoaning the increasing number of illegal occupants that have erected makeshift homes along the N2 near Somerset Mall and two neighbouring schools.
The resident said despite successfully logging a service request with the City of Cape for the squatters’ removal the problem persists, creating both an eyesore and unhygienic conditions.
“Where are the lawmakers to manage this mess?” asked the resident in light of an apparent lack of law-enforcement intervention to address the situation.
On enquiry, the City stated that the matter was being investigated, including the history and facts of the occupation, the ownership of the land and operational interventions that can or have taken place at the site previously.
This, so a holistic plan for the solution to this unlawful occupation can be devised in conjunction with the lawful owner.
“Generally speaking, the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act applies to transient structures and tents used by people living on the street and requires the City to make an application for an eviction order to remove the unlawful occupants and offer alternative accommodation that is just and equitable,” the City said.
“Where the land does not belong to the City it is the responsibility of the landowner to apply for assistance from the courts.”
The provincial Department of Infrastructure confirmed its awareness of illegal occupiers of a portion of land designated for the provincial education department and zoned for education.
“This specific case is therefore not a roads matter, as it is not in the road reserve,” said infrastructure department spokesperson Jandré Bakker. “It is a property matter. While the department is the custodian of provincial immovable assets, the user department is the education department.”
Bakker further noted that while no-one may illegally or unlawfully occupy state property, where such occupation is in a road reserve, the applicable road authority will seek the applicable or appropriate solution.
Education department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond verified that the property is allocated to Danie Ackermann Primary School. “It is beyond the school’s fence-line and is not being used by the school,” she said.
“The department had previously tried to relinquish the vacant portion of the land before it was invaded. This was unsuccessful. The matter has been referred to the department’s infrastructure directorate.”
While Danie Ackermann Primary principal Mark Manus acknowledged the eyesore, he said that the squatters have not caused any problems, including security concerns, for the school.
“They don’t come onto the school grounds at all. If it happened that one of them needed assistance, it was often after school hours,” he said.
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