Gauteng residents want shack dwellers moved off land earmarked for development
"We cannot be surrounded by shacks when we pay high rates for our bonded houses‚" says Veronica Motaung‚ who, on Wednesday, joined a demonstration by home-owners against land-grabbers. More than 100 residents barricaded a road in Lawley near Ennerdale, Gauteng with burning tyres from early morning‚ calling on the government to halt the illegal erection of shacks on an open field. Motaung said the government had promised to develop the open land for the construction of a mall‚ community hall and petrol station. "I understand the need for housing but we can’t afford the constant load-shedding and crime brought by the erection of the shacks‚" she said. In contrast‚ a furious shack dweller‚ Jessie Jacobs‚ told TimesLIVE: "We just want a piece of land. The government has failed us‚ we no longer want anything from them — just a piece of land." She said she wanted her own home‚ as she has had to live at her mother’s house all her life. A community leader representing the shack dwellers‚ Ja...
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