Police, residents clash over land near military base in Cape Town

• Yet another clash over land has broken out in Cape Town.
• This time, the violence took place near the Wingfield military base.
• On Friday evening, the local ward councillor and residents were still locked in meetings to defuse the conflict.

Violence erupted in Kensington, Cape Town, on Friday when the police and City of Cape Town dismantled illegal dwellings.

The piece of land in question lies between the suburb of Kensington and Wingfield military base, near Goodwood in the city's northern suburbs. It is understood the land is state-owned.

The violence included rock-throwing and the firing of rubber bullets, as residents clashed with the police and City's enforcement agencies.

At the heart of the conflict is the contention whether the structures on the land were new or not.

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The City's Mayco member for human settlements, Malusi Booi, said: "This is an orchestrated land invasion with threatening crowds.

"This was not an eviction but a removal of new partially built structures… These were new structures which were in the process of being constructed.

"Members of the public complained about the erection and construction of new structures which resulted in the City and police taking action."

Booi added the City had been acting on the property for some time as the owners were unable to protect their land and it was in the best interest of the community to act.

"The land owners and residents on the site are aware of the procedure followed by the City should new illegal structures or land invasions occur."

But this was contested by sources canvassed by News24, who disputed that the structures were "new".

At the time of publication, local ward councillor Helen Jacobs was understood to be meeting residents in the area to defuse the situation.

Jacobs was unable to comment as she was engaged in on-the-ground discussions.

But she confirmed there was some confusion as to whether the housing structures at the heart of the conflict had been newly built, as alleged.

Violence erupted in the Cape Town suburb of Kensington when SAPS and the City of Cape Town dismantled allegedly illegal housing structures. (Picture: Leslie Swartz)

Violence erupted in a Cape Town suburb today when SAPS and the City of Cape Town dismantled allegedly illegal dwellings. The piece of land in question lies between the suburb of Kensington and Wingfield military base, near Goodwood in the city’s Northern Suburbs. It is understood that the land is state-owned. (Picture: Leslie Swartz)

Violence erupted in a Cape Town suburb today when SAPS and the City of Cape Town dismantled allegedly illegal dwellings. The piece of land in question lies between the suburb of Kensington and Wingfield military base, near Goodwood in the city’s Northern Suburbs. It is understood that the land is state-owned. (Picture: Leslie Swartz)