IT WAS a free-for-all on the weekend when hundreds of city residents staked their claim on the open piece of land behind the West End Cemetery in Finlayson Road.
The land, which was earmarked for a R300 million student village, has been standing vacant since May 2014.
Residents marking out their erven yesterday were quick to point out that it was not a land grab or land invasion.
“We are just taking what rightfully belongs to us - what was promised to us,” one man, John Ntielang, said yesterday.
Ntielang said he was born in a one-room structure and 32 years later was still living in a one-room structure. “I share the ‘house’ with my mother, father and children. There is no privacy. We bath in the one room, we sleep in the same room, we relieve ourselves in that one room and then we have to cook in that same room. What kind of a life is that?”
Ntielang pointed out that since the end of apartheid they had been promised land to erect homes. “We are now in the sixth government and we still don’t have land.”
Ntielang added that the new informal settlement, which residents had already dubbed “Rhythm City”, was open to one and all.
“This is not politically motivated. You will see people with their ANC, EFF and even DA T-shirts marking out their piece of land. This is all about landless people who want a decent way of life.”
This is just the start, Ntielang and other residents said. “We will be driving all around the city and seeing which land is not occupied and then we will start erecting our structures.
“The residents here today were promised land near Zingisa Primary School. But what happened? The black elite bought it and townhouses are now being erected on that site. This is happening everywhere. That is why we are moving in before more land gets taken from us.”
The residents said that if anybody tried to remove them from the land they would feel the might of the people. “You thought the shutdown of the city was bad. We will not only shut down Kimberley but the entire Province. We will wait for Cyril (Ramaphosa) to come and remove us.
“At this point no title deeds will be handed to anybody. The land belongs to everyone.”
Other residents in the area said they feared for their safety. “We don’t know what will happen. The prices of our properties will also be driven down as a result of this action.”
However, Ntielang reassured those residents. “Everybody’s safety is paramount. By having people staying on this land more people can feel safe.”
Sol Plaatje municipal spokesperson Sello Matsie said that the local authority was aware of the “land invasion/unlawful land occupation”.
“The municipality is on record that it condemns such actions. We have even on several occasions obtained court interdicts against unlawful occupiers of such areas,” Matsie said.
He added that in some cases these portions of land, which are privately owned, hampers development - as happened with the proposed mall development that was thwarted in Galeshewe.
“Not only is the township robbed of economic spin-offs but it remains impossible for the municipality to develop or even build houses on private property.”
Matsie also urged landowners to take “full responsibility” for their land.
“They should fence it off and seek legal recourse as the municipality won’t take responsibility for any illegal actions. They should also demarcate and put up visible signs that the land is private.”
He reminded residents who want access to land that there is a procurement process and areas available that the municipality could make available through the proper channels.
“Unfortunately we are unable to intervene as the land does not belong to the municipality. It is up to the land owner to approach the law enforcement agencies, themselves,” Matsie added.
In May 2014 the sod was turned to start construction on the student village. Exactly a year later the contractors abandoned the site without a foundation even having been laid.
The student village was advertised by Vee Jay Project Managers, “on behalf of the Northern Cape Urban Further Education and Training College”, as providing accommodation for 1 600 students from the Sol Plaatje University, nursing colleges and the NC Urban FET College.
The Sol Plaatje City Council had approved the application for the project in 2014, although the college denied that it was in any way affiliated to the project.
The project manager at the time promised that the first 32 residential blocks would be completed by January 2014.