More houses built on municipal land in Lehae razed

Lehae residents who had built their houses on land they had bought from unauthorised people, last week stood by and watched as their homes were demolished and turned into rubble. 

Excavators tore down about 20 houses built on municipal land in Lehae near Lenasia, south of Johannesburg.

The brick houses were constructed on land allegedly sold illegally and without proper authorisation by the city council. 

Xolani Fihla, spokesperson for the Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD), said the city was facing large-scale illegal land grabs. 

“This is particularly in problematic areas such as the southern regions of Johannesburg, Rabie Ridge in the north and Alexandra. The City of Johannesburg, through the JMPD, has adopted a multipronged approach to address the serious issue of illegal land occupation and invasion,” Fihla said. 

This is not the first time the city has taken action in Lehae. In March, the city enlisted the services of Red Ants security company, accompanied by JMPD officers, to demolish between 20 and 25 houses which were built illegally in the same area.

These operations have been met with significant resistance from the house owners, many of whom were unaware that the land they purchased was sold to them illegally by individuals who had no legal right to do so. 

According to Fihla, the JMPD's strategy to combat illegal land occupation involves monitoring, evictions and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies.

“The JMPD unit monitors hotspots for illegal land invasions and responds to complaints by swiftly demolishing and removing any unoccupied illegal structures found. 

“The city seeks court orders to evict illegal occupants from land, and the court determines the appropriate course of action, which may involve eviction and demolition of illegal structures or providing alternative accommodation for the individuals affected,” said Fihla. 

Fihla also said that no court order was needed for the recent demolition.

“The only time when a court order is needed is when the houses or structures are occupied by people, but in this circumstance, the houses did not have any occupants and so there was no need for a court order.”

According to a community leader, the situation in Lehae is particularly complex because many of the people who build houses on illegal land do so with the belief that they have followed the correct procedures.   

Carlton Xilumani said individuals were often approached by strangers who claim to have land for sale.

“Land is between R5,000 and R10,000 and they have different sellers. I've seen a five-room house being destroyed. These people get approached by strangers who somehow have heard that they are looking to build and need land. Most of the sellers are community leaders, so obviously people trust them,” he said. 

“What usually happens is that these people would buy the land from people who were sent by these leaders. The money would go from the 'seller' to the leader, and then the approval to build comes back from the leader through the 'seller'. 

“They would then start building, only for the JMPD to come and tear down the structures,” said Xilumani. 

A city official who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that the land in question is owned by the city, and only the Johannesburg Property Company was authorised to sell land provide title deeds.

He further said the issue of illegal land grabs and transactions were mostly handled by JMPD as it is their jurisdiction and responsibility to make sure that no land is occupied unlawfully within the city. 

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