A standoff erupted at Bompini near the King Phalo Airport on Wednesday over attempts to evict occupiers of more than 100 recently constructed brick homes and shacks.
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC), which is said to have abandoned land it owns in the Fort Grey forest more than 30 years ago, is leading the evictions.
The council, which was granted an interdict against community expansion on farmland by the East London high court in November 2024, has sought the services of the Red Ants to demolish scores of houses, while some are still under construction.
However, on Wednesday morning, the community prevented several armed security guards from the Red Ants from evicting them by barricading the entrance to the area with burning tyres and trees as early as 3am.
The Red Ants have been stationed at the Fort Grey forest, between the Buffalo Pass and R346 road that passes through Bompini, since Sunday morning.
The area is known as Fort Grey before the emergence of areas such as eBhongweni and Bompini.
In June, the ARC through its lawyers, warned the community against the continued occupation, invasion, deforestation and erecting of structures in the farmland known as 1345.
According to court papers, the council said it used the land for research purposes.
The invaders were ordered to demolish and vacate the land by February 26.
ARC legal representative Fhumulani Munarini confirmed evictions were meant to take place on Monday.
Munarini, however, directed inquiries to the ARC, which failed to respond to questions sent.
However, the occupiers, through their attorney, advocate Zolani Madukuda, filed a rescission order to challenge the ARC’s impending evictions and the use of the Red Ants.
Madukuda said the ARC was not a law enforcement agency of the state.
“Their interdicts, both of them, do not mention anything about the use of the Red Ants, which is one of the problems.
“They have an interdict order because that’s all that they applied for in court.
“So we filed a rescission application on both orders so our clients can have a say in the matter.
“The court order they are busy using is the subject of litigation.”
One of the residents facing eviction, Yandiswa Sawula, 40, said the ARC had abandoned the land.
The ARC had run a hemp and orange plantation in the area from the 1950s, according to the residents in the area.
“We were born here and we even have a primary school here that was opened in 1952.
“Our parents used to work here for the ARC as there are still old apartheid shared structures in the area.
“In 1994, they left and abandoned this place and our families continued to grow.
“I cannot still share a single room house with an asbestos roof with my children in this day and age, so we had to expand and extend our houses because this land has never been used.
“There is no research we have seen being done here.”
Noluthando Ntwana, 51, said the increased number of houses in the area had led to a decrease in crime.
“This place was a forest and there were horrible things that happened here.
“The more houses we have near the road, the safer it gets.”
Mntuwabantu Ndinisa, 68, who had worked at the plantation, said the land was given to them to look after.
“I was given a house when the owners left this place to look after it since I used to work at the hemp and orange fields.
“I’m worried when I hear now there are people who want to demolish houses our children have built for themselves.”
The community further shared a letter from the provincial department of agriculture signed in 2007 confirming the land belonging to the ARC for research purposes.
The letter further acknowledged there were people occupying the land and instructed the Buffalo City Metro to provide basic services.
According to Sawula, the city installed electricity in the area in 2011 and water supply in 2023.
Ward councillor Bonisile Bangani, who visited the area on Wednesday morning to quell tensions, could not comment by the time of publication.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said the metro could not comment on the matter.
Daily Dispatch
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