Pretoria - An attempted land grab in Pretoria allegedly orchestrated by the EFF was condemned by the ANC in Gauteng on Tuesday.
“The ANC Gauteng condemns the Economic Freedom Fighters for deceiving the people to grab land earmarked for low cost housing development in Tshwane Nellmapius...” spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said in a statement.
Tshwane metro police spokesman Isaac Mahamba confirmed the attempted land grab and said that officers fired rubber bullets after the people occupying the land began throwing stones at them on Monday.
It was unclear whether anyone was injured, and no one was arrested.
Mahamba said metro police were keeping watch to prevent people occupying the land illegally.
As of 4.30pm on Tuesday, there had been no renewed attempt at a land grab.
Ntuli said the land was earmarked for low cost housing development.
“The people must not be deceived and raise expectations that the land grab will bring hope into their lives.
“...The land grab is not only wrong, but undermines the ANC government's determined efforts to work towards improving the lives of ordinary people.
“The poisonous EFF policies of land grab have impoverished and left many countries destitute in the world and therefore cannot be copied in South Africa.”
The Times quoted EFF branch chairman Vusi Msiza saying: “We are implementing the EFF policy of expropriation of land and we will fight to stay on that land”.
EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party supported land expropriation but would not directly comment on the incident in Nellmapius.
“If branches of the EFF have taken the initiative to join homeless communities, even if they are leading as we always said we will be at centre of community protest struggles... they are acting within the (ambit) of EFF policies.”
Sapa