Houses worth thousands of rands built on the land illegally, are being demolished in Soshanguve near Ext 6 at the changing spot for Rosslyn taxis.

Jaws were left dropping on the ground when bulldozers were witnessed demolishing houses built on private property. It is believed that the houses occupying the land were built regardless of the government having warned them to not continue with the building proceedings.

It is alleged that the house owners paid an amount of R50 000 to an unknown individual who gave them access and permission to the land. The houses that are demolished cost about over R500k but the government seem to have no pity for the owners, instead the houses are put down to the ground by a bulldozer accompanied by law enforcement officers.

Videos of the demolishing is making the rounds on social media, bringing forth flashbacks of a demolishing that took place back in 2019, housed that were not so long ago put down in Soweto and a year ago, a few houses in the Eastern Cape but the municipality later offered a land for the illegal residents to legally occupy. Social users had their own opinions to say in result of the video and many found no problem in the government destroying the houses.

“This is wrong on all levels. They waited for people to build all these big houses for them to destroy them.”

“Bayabalaya. Why build on a land that you don’t have legitimate papers for.”

“This is the situation, the owners of the land warned them, obviously they ignored, court order out, if someone occupies your land illegally you will seek court intervention and these happens. It’s so sad that houses are destroyed. Imagine people with bank loans, some were hoping to cash in from those houses.”

“Let’s normalise having legit papers for a land before building, people turn to be stubborn, invade land thinking they’ll mobilise and fight government when times like this come.”

Illegal land occupying is a challenge for the government as it is growing all the time. Illegal settlements have given strength to those affording to build, to also occupy and illegally build on the land even after being issued with warning accompanied by a court order.