Johannesburg - Lenasia homeowners who genuinely believed they had legitimately bought land and built houses will be compensated by the Gauteng Human Settlements Department which, in 2012, ordered their demolition.
The agreement was reached last night after two years of stalemate.
In 2012, the Gauteng provincial government set about tearing down partially built houses on the illegally bought land belonging to the government.
Riots broke out in the area, eventually resulting in then-national human settlements minister Tokyo Sexwale promising to intervene and settle the matter.
Two years of negotiation resulted in a situation in which progress seemed impossible.
However, last night the Gauteng Human Settlements Department announced a breakthrough.
“In a matter of a few weeks, the chapter on the demolition of houses in Lenasia will be closed following a major breakthrough on the redress of affected families,” said MEC Jacob Mamabolo.
This followed a meeting between him and the Special Lenasia Intervention Task Team during which parties agreed to resolve the matter amicably.
“We are mindful that some people were genuinely duped by this manipulative and well-orchestrated syndicate in acquiring government land so redress will be considered for those whose houses were demolished.
“However, we know some people participated knowingly in the scam and, as such, we will not be using a one-size-fits-all approach, we will be looking at each case individually,” Mamabolo said.
The members of the task team will meet before the end of the year to finalise other difficult matters and then return to the South Gauteng High Court to make the agreement a court order after which that order will be implemented.
Sexwale formally constituted the task team in November 2012 after the demolitions.
Mamabolo noted with concern that while the government had stopped the demolitions, illegal invasions and construction had continued in Lenasia despite a court order forbidding it.
He said the government would not tolerate land invasions.
“We will not allow anarchy and lawlessness in our constitutional state, which is founded on the sacrosanct principle of the rule of law.
“I am sending a strong warning to all communities in Gauteng that all such opportunistic elements that have made invasions, they will be dealt with with the full might of the law.”
Over the past two years, a number of individuals have been arrested and convicted of illegally selling government land in the suburb.
They include:
* Kingpin Richard Zikhali, who was sentenced in August to five years’ imprisonment on 94 counts of corruption.
* A 76-year-old pastor, Mandla Dlamini, who is serving a three- year jail sentence.
* Former City of Joburg official Sifiso Handsome Litau, who will appear in court on December 14 for sentencing.
Monday’s meeting was attended by the provincial and national departments of human settlements, the city, two concerned residents groups from Lenasia, the National Home Builders Registration Council, the Legal Resources Centre, the SA Human Rights Commission and Bishop Paul Verryn.
The Star