AT LEAST 10 gunshots were fired in Carlow Road in Bonela on Wednesday night, evidently in a further attempt at intimidation of residents of the area by land invaders streaming into the area.
The shots came the night before an oversight visit by DA councillors to sites of land invasions on Thursday.
Warren Burne, councillor of the area, visited Blinkbonnie, Carlow and Buckingham roads, all affected by land invasions. He said the problem had been ongoing for three years and pleaded for the eThekwini municipality to step in.
Burne said he had exhausted all efforts to address the problem.
“I’ve sent emails to all the relevant departments; I have even delivered the proposal by hand,” he added.
Residents said a man stood in their property and fired 10 shots in an attempt to scare them on Wednesday night.
“This was to show us that they are here to stay,” the resident said.
Carlow Road residents said the land-
grabbers had stolen wire fences they had put up, and when the residents replaced these with concrete fences, those too were damaged.
The shack dwellers have put up visible signage stating “Enkanini” which loosely translates to “resistance” or “stubbornness”, and which is believed to be the name of the informal settlement.
Burne believes the invaders are moving into the area because it’s close to amenities and the CBD, and there is access to water for toilets and low lamp-posts to connect to.
Burne and the residents said the invaders should be relocated to a safer area as most of the shacks were built on steep hills.
Another concern is the lack of police presence which contributes to gang activity in the area.
When the Daily News visited the area on Thursday, land invaders threw rocks, made threats and took the media’s pictures. Shacks were still being built.
Human Settlements department spokesperson Mbulelo Baloyi previously confirmed that the land in question was owned by the department.
“It is zoned as public open space. The land was subjected to a relatively recent invasion. Three of the security personnel were stabbed and assaulted in one incident. Criminal cases have been opened,” Baloyi
said.