WATCH: Land invasion ends in tears!

UNLAWFUL occupants of land designated for the graveyard site are left in the cold in Mpumalanga.

This after their houses were demolished in Mataffin outside Mbombela on Thursday, 11 July.

The demolishing comes four years after a warning by the Nelspruit Regional Court to move from the land.

In 2021, Mataffin Community Development Trust took the illegal occupants to court after demanding their removal from the land.

A court order seen by Daily Sun, dated 12 August 2021, stated that the first respondents, who are the occupants of the land, are ordered to vacate the property and remove the structures erected on the property no later than three months after the state of disaster has ended.

The order said the Sheriff is directed to demolish and remove all incomplete and unoccupied structures erected on the property.

More than 30 families who had built houses on the land about three kilometres away from Mbombela Stadium were forcibly removed by Security Consortium South Africa, known as the Red Ants.

Some affected victims told Daily Sun that they bought the stands for between R30 000 and R50 000 with the assurance that everything was in order.

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Lesedi Chaka (26), whose family home was demolished, said she was woken by her mother, who told her that they were demolishing houses and needed to remove their furniture.

"When my mother bought the stand, she was never told that she was occupying the land illegally. She was only informed after she built the house. We were told everything was in order and that we would be given land to build houses," she said.

Lesedi indicated she was worried about her mother and little kids, who now don't have a home.

She said she didn't expect this to happen because the seller assured them that they were safe.

Lesedi's mother collapsed when they went to her house, and she was hospitalised.

Another victim, Gugulethu Maseko, who had bought a stand in 2019, said in June 2024, they were issued a letter which stated that they should be out of the area within 30 days.

"We were surprised to see people storming our houses. They never gave some of us a chance to remove our furniture. We have nowhere to go. We used to live at my grandmother's house, and when we decided to find our own space, this happened. We are left in the cold," she said.

City of Mbombela municipal spokesman Joseph Ngala said the stance of the municipality remains the same.

"The Mdluli Trust took the matter to court. In any event, we are against any form of land invasion, irrespective of whether the land belongs to the municipality or not. It impacts negatively our planning and development because the minute people invade the land, they demand services. Some even tamper with the services provided, like water and electricity that are budgeted for," he said.