Cape Town - The City of Cape Town was on Tuesday preparing to lay criminal charges against Economic Freedom Fighters Western Cape leader Nazier Paulsen for facilitating the illegal occupation of land in Khayelitsha.
City Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security JP Smith said he was also in the process of writing to the Speaker of the provincial parliament to institute proceedings against Paulsen, a member of the provincial legislature.
“The metro police and city law enforcement are laying a charge against him in terms of the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act which deals with land grabs,” Smith said.
“Mr Paulsen is a very public figure so I’m writing to the provincial Speaker pointing out that he’s in breach of the code of conduct for provincial members.”
Paulsen led the occupation of land next to the Nolungile railway station in Khayelitsha on Monday.
Law enforcement officers from the SA Police Service and metro police prevented them from erecting structures on the land which is owned by Denel – South Africa’s state owned arms manufacturer.
Paulsen said the Khayelitsha land invasion was “just the beginning”.
“We occupied land, along Bongani Street. It is big enough for 500 people to build a village. We started yesterday on April 6. People are busy constructing buildings,” he said.
“The council says they are monitoring the situation which is really funny because they were elected to deliver not to monitor.”
Paulsen said the party would assist people with building materials once they identified land for occupation.
“It is not a case of somebody saying I would like a five-bedroom mansion in Camps Bay and then the EFF must go an find one. It is not like that.”
ANA