Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Mervyn Cirota MPL.
Families and businesses in the Ruimsig suburb of Mogale City are increasingly distressed by the ongoing illegal occupation of privately owned land by some residents of the Pikoko informal settlement. Mogale City and the Gauteng Provincial Government have failed to intervene and put a stop to this extended situation. The Democratic Alliance (DA) strongly opposes this disregard for the rule of law and property rights and calls for urgent intervention from both the Johannesburg and Mogale administrations.
Pikoko informal settlement is located on property owned by the City of Johannesburg; however, this property falls under the jurisdiction of Mogale City.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDHS), Mogale City and City of Johannesburg (COJ) to ascertain why they have yet to halt the unlawful occupation of privately owned land by residents of the Pikoko informal settlement despite numerous complaints from residents.
This concerning situation in Rumsig was revealed during the DA’s recent second oversight inspection. We have been calling for a resolution on this matter for years without any significant intervention from the relevant authorities.
A walkabout at the Jim & Jerry’s Driving Range, which borders the informal settlement, revealed that the Pikoko informal settlement has expanded dramatically since our first visit earlier this year, with residents now erecting structures on land belonging to the driving range and some nearby properties.
See photos here, here and here.
The impact of the unlawful land occupation is severe. The owner of the golf estate expressed concerns that his business is experiencing a decline in clients who no longer feel at ease using the driving range due to some residents from the nearby Pikoko community openly using substances on the property. He further noted that despite repeated efforts by private security to dismantle the illegal structures built on the property, residents return to rebuild them.
Another property owner raised concerns that the lawless expansion of the informal settlement on a swamp area is largely affecting the environment and driving down property values, leaving property owners to bear the financial consequences of government inaction.
The lack of intervention by Mogale City, COJ and the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, despite repeated calls by the DA, is deeply concerning. It shows a blatant disregard for property owners’ rights and highlights the ineffectiveness of current measures to address unlawful land occupation in Gauteng.
The DA is committed to defending private property rights and upholding the rule of law. A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government will protect property owners from unlawful occupation while addressing the challenges of informal settlements through lawful and sustainable solutions.