The High Court in Pretoria granted an urgent eviction order against 60-year-old Frank Mhlongo, three of his children and other “farmers”, who forced their way onto the land and started erecting dwellings last week.

Judge Natvarial Ranchod ordered Mhlongo and the others to immediately vacate the property, to stop interfering with the developer’s use of the land and to remove the structures they had erected.

They were also interdicted from having any contact with trustees of the local Hoxane tribe and inflicting any bodily or other harm on members of the tribe and employees of the developers, The Elephant Corporation (Pty) Ltd.

The police, sheriff of the High Court and the security company employed by the developers were authorised to use force, if necessary, to get rid of the illegal occupants.

Peter Foaden, of the developers, said in an affidavit his company had. in 2006, concluded a 50-year-lease agreement with the State, which holds the property in trust for the Hoxane tribe.

This was after the tribe agreed that the property would be developed to establish a hotel and a tented camp business from which the tribe would benefit and derive an income.

When a previous lease agreement was concluded in 1998, no one was living on the land, but when the developers took possession, Mhlongo had moved in and told them he would only leave once his crop had been harvested.

Even though the tribal chief confirmed that Mhlongo had never lived there and had moved in to opportunistically benefit from the land, he stayed put and even convinced other “farmers” to move in and act as a human buffer to his “strategic occupation”.

In 2006, the developers obtained an eviction order against Mhlongo and the other farmers, but he left only after a group of locals marched on the area to evict him.

Mhlongo was soon back, further delaying the development.

Foaden said even a ministerial inquiry, which found that Mhlongo had no claim to the property, could not shift him and the developers were eventually forced to pay R300,000 to 23 of the “farmers” and R700,000 to Mhlongo as a goodwill payment to ensure that they permanently left the land.

Although Mhlongo eventually moved out in 2009 and undertook not to occupy the property again, he first delivered a demand to the developers claiming that he had been promised “five percent shares” - and then forcibly invaded the land again last week.

Foaden said Mhlongo and his sons intimidated the guards who tried to stop them.

They stormed at the manager of the security company with a shovel and tried to hit him, and backed off only when pepper spray was used.

One of his sons produced a firearm and threatened to kill the security guards.

The police stood idly by while all of this was happening, and later ordered the security company to leave the land.

Comments

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Fri May 24 15:43:23 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 10, 2012

sakhomba

forget a Bell's....can somebody please give bab'Mhlongo a mixture of "ntakunyisa & mjov'alale". he rocks!!!
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Jul 10, 2012

Mellow

Mhlongo? Why am not suprised just typical
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Jul 10, 2012

munky

bab'Mhlongo ke BOSSO.......lol
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Jul 10, 2012

WakeUpSouthAfrica

Illegally occupy land. Was even paid R700,000 to leave. The tribal leader said that dude has never previously lived on the piece of land.

Whats next? "They stole my land!"

Evict the dude, use force, you have been given the right by the courts to do so.
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Jul 10, 2012

tpaz

R700,000 is nothing, price of a tiny townhouse.
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Jul 10, 2012

WakeUpSouthAfrica

tpaz - R700,000 for people who moved onto land illegally? Did you even read the article?

"who forced their way onto the land and started erecting dwellings last week."
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Jul 10, 2012

golly459

This guy once destroyed many pupils’ lives by clamming a big farm called Lisbon where many pupils from Mpumalanga used to work, after that he stopped maintaining that farm, all tress of oranges, mangos etc. went dry and he went to Mozambique without paying the workers. I’m not surprised if Frank wants to stop this development because he only cares for himself and his Crazy Son Mabuti Mhlongo.
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Jul 10, 2012

Real-Mogwanthi

This guy does not even deserve the 700k he was given...he does not belong there!
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Jul 10, 2012

Punkies

Hayi ntate Mhlongo ke skhokho..LOL!
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Jul 10, 2012

Danielrjvvuren

You know, Yes 700K is almost nothing, but do these people understand there is way more to gain with the trust and hotel then just squatting there? The state holds it in trust, investment. Should someone not sit him down and describe what is going to happen? Maybe he does not understand the concept of a trust and what is going to happen? You never know. Like i say all the time EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION!
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