THE Red Ants and the Joburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) demolished illegal shacks in Protea South, Soweto, on Friday, 3 June.
The demolition put a smile on the faces of those who live next to the shacks.
They said the shacks belonged to people who didn’t even live in the area.
They were also concerned about safety issues, stating that once one person moved into one shack, too many people ended up invading the place which made room for criminal activities.
JMPD spokesman Xolani Fihla said eight unoccupied shacks were demolished. He and removed with no injuries and further incidents reported. urged members of the public who witnessed illegal land invasions to report them.
Daily Sun spoke to some of the owners of the shacks.
A 43-year-old man said a friend told him someone was selling land for R15 000 and he jumped on the opportunity.
He said it all happened fast and the guy reassured him that the place is legal.
He even told him that taps and toilets would be installed soon.
“I was obviously too happy and I never investigated anything. I’ve been trying to get hold of that man and his phone has been off since,” he said.
A 47-year-old woman said she she also heard of a cheap opportunity which she quickly grabbed. She said she bought that land her for her child, hoping it’ll develop into a beautiful area, which would allow her to build a nice house.
