The Gauteng Co-operative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile says government has failed to stop illegal land occupations before they happen.
A violent protest broke out in Lenasia south of Johannesburg at the weekend after residents living in bonded houses were opposed to the illegal occupation of a vacant piece of land in the area.
Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba says he has been shown evidence that proves that a syndicate is behind the illegal land occupation in Lenasia.
Maile says as the Gauteng government they’re also putting together a team to tackle land invasions.
“For instance tomorrow I will be meeting with the mayor of Johannesburg just on the Lenasia issue and other issues. So the problem of land invasion is a big problem. We have to evict in certain instances. We have court orders. But I think for me the most important thing is to prevent it before it happens. We have not been able as government to prevent these evictions before they happen.”
