By Celani Sikhakhane
A traditional leader in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, has claimed that the demolition of three family houses was an act of revenge by the mayor of Umvoti.
Induna Bernard Mzila accused Mayor Philani Mavundla of seeking political revenge following a protest to remove him from office.
The houses were located in Townland Farm in eBovini area, under Nkosi Sanele Zondi, an area lived in by many IFP leaders. The party had previously led a massive community protest demanding the removal of Mavundla as mayor.
The demolishers were blocked by angry locals while they were on their way to destroy a tuckshop that belongs to an IFP councillor in eBovini. Among them was fired Speaker Noluthando Dlamini, who owns a large house in the area.
The municipality claims people are building houses illegally on municipal land but traditional leaders insist the land is theirs.
Induna Bernard Mzila told Scrolla.Africa that he has been allocating plots for people to build on for years, but all of a sudden, Mavundla had sent municipal officials to demolish the houses.
“We never received any court letter or notice to tell community members that the land doesn’t belong to us and we have to vacate. Even Mavundla never comes to us to talk about this land. We were taken by surprise when he sent his officials to demolish people’s houses without any notification. This is an exploitation of power and I am frustrated because I am the one who has been allocating this land for years,” said Mzila.
One of the victims told Scrolla.Africa that he had spent over R200,000 on his eight-roomed house with a double garage which the municipality just destroyed.
He said he was allocated the land by an induna for a payment of R100, a case of beer and a bottle of whiskey.
Abantu Batho Congress (ABC) interim secretary Mbuso Lukhele has distanced himself from Mavundla’s action and described it as a violation of human rights like the actions used by the apartheid government against black people.
Mavundla is the president of ABC but he couldn’t be reached for comments as his phones were both on voicemail.
Pictured above: One of the houses that were demolished last week by the Umvoti Local Municipality at Townland Farm, Greytown.
Image source: Supplied
