Residents and business owners in Erasmia, Laudium, Sunderland Ridge and other surrounding areas, are in a panic mode as news of more and more land being ‘sold’ and shacks being erected in the area, known as Ntswane Village by the squatters in the Mooiplaas area, has surfaced.
A few months back, the Laudium Sun broke the news about the rapidly growing informal settlement, which stretches from the cheese shop area on Erasmia’s M26 (not far from the Erasmia residential area) and spreading behind the Sunderland Ridge industrial area. It is common knowledge that the informal settlement has grown phenomenally since Cllr Naeem Patel came into office about 4 years back. Cllr Patel is accused of boasting to a number of local residents that he was not worried about losing the Indian vote in the Laudium/Erasmia area, as he supported a portion of Mooiplaas to be incorporated into his Ward, which would boost his votes as an aspiring ANC candidate, in the forthcoming elections. Patel believes that many of the illegal squatters would be voting for the ANC, even if it is just1000, as this could increase his chances of being re-elected, significantly. Naeem and his Ward Committee supported or even proposed to the Demarcation Board to include the area from the bridge on the M26 (before Jalalpor’s farm), up to the cheese shop, to be part of Laudium and Erasmia, where a lot of shacks have been erected (as reported previously in the Laudium Sun). To date, Patel has not responded as to why he did not take any action against the building of shacks in the area, as a member of the ANC Centurion PCO, whereby representatives from the ANC controlled Gauteng Provincial Legislature and from Parliament together with other local ANC Councillors have regular meetings regarding concerns of the community living in the area. Patel also did not answer to Lushika Mooloo from the Concerned Residents Forum (CCF) as to why the community was not consulted prior to him supporting a portion of the Mooiplaas area to be incorporated into the Ward with Laudium. Lushika raised concerns that the area is filled with shacks and would be an additional burden to the community, as the Itireleng Informal Settlement is already part of Ward 61.
Other response
Theoma Nkosi, a hardware vendor selling building material on the gravel road leading to the squatter camp at the M26, told the Laudium Sun, “I’m selling all kinds of hardware items on the road, as many people are buying stands here to build their shacks. Every day I sell building material and business is at its peak now. The squatter camp is really booming and many people are putting up shacks. The whole mountain is full and now people are forced to move closer to the street. I’ve even heard that people are buying stands to build shacks for as much as R20,000.”
Mabatole Shika, a current resident of the newly built squatter camp at the M26, told the Laudium Sun, “I recently moved into this new squatter camp and things are going well for us. I paid R20,000 to one of the sellers who sold me the stand to build my shack. I’m happy for now, as the place is growing and many shacks are being built every day. I don’t have electricity and water for now, but I’ve heard from people that, after some time, we will get title deeds and also water and electricity so that we can stay here permanently.”
Thanushka Singh, a business owner along the M26 road, told the Laudium Sun, “It is quite shocking how the newly built squatter camp is spreading towards the side of the road. Every day I see more and more shacks being put up. As a community — business owners and residents — we are in real danger, because squatter camps bring many problems and one of the most concerning is crime. A lot of criminal activity is already taking place and for us to do business will become very troublesome. I hope the government or local authorities take control of the squatter camp, which is spreading like nobody’s business.”
John Frans, who works at a car workshop on the M26, told the Laudium Sun, “The newly built squatter camp on the M26 Erasmia Road is very frightening and frustrating, as a lot of people are moving in. My brother had a piece of land next to the M26 highway, but he was forced to sell it to the people managing the squatter camp, after he was threatened and became too scared to keep it. This is really sad, as many criminal activities are now likely to take place. I believe the government must intervene in this matter seriously, because at the speed the squatter camp is expanding, within a few months they will not only occupy the whole mountain but also Erasmia as well.”
Hoosain, a business owner along the M26 road, who did not want to give his full name, told the Laudium Sun, “The newly built squatter camp is a problem for the community, as it is growing bigger every day. This will be a major issue for the Erasmia community and for the business owners operating along the M26. A lot of criminal activity is likely to take place, and besides that, property values in Erasmia and the surrounding areas will decrease because of the squatter camp. The government, including the Tshwane Council, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the relevant Ministers and Members of Parliament, must look into this and put a stop to it, as more and more people are moving in and we all know how crime spikes when a squatter camp develops nearby. The people staying in the squatter camp, will also require electricity, clean water and sewage, otherwise there will be a health crisis also and government says they have no money so these squatters will misuse existing infrastructure nearby for their own purposes. I really hope the government intervenes and does something to stop the growing squatter camp along the M26 road.”
Ismail Essa, a business owner from Range Padel on the M26 road, told the Laudium Sun, “I haven’t experienced any problems from the newly built squatter camp so far, as we are before the river. But I believe that, as time goes on, we may face issues with the growing informal settlement. I have seen some people engaging in disturbing activities at night near my business premises. Going forward, this will definitely be a concern for the residents of Erasmia and for us as business owners operating along the M26 road.”
