EAST LONDON – Scores of Bongweni residents on the outskirts of East London who allegedly invaded private land at Umtiza Farm have been left stranded and homeless following an eviction order and the subsequent demolition of their homes, whilst the Buffalo City Metro has distanced itself from the eviction operation.
It has since emerged that the land is privately owned by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), an agricultural research and development entity based in Pretoria.
The recent eviction and demolition of homes took place under heavy police guard, assisted by Buffalo City Metro’s law enforcement.
However, the Buffalo City Metro has distanced itself from the eviction and subsequent demolition of homes in Bongweni.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said the Metro had noted reports of evictions and demolition of houses in the area, and added that the municipality wished to clarify that it was not involved in the eviction operation and the demolition of houses in Bongweni.
“Preliminary information indicates that the land in question is privately owned by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC). Any action taken on the site is being carried out by the legal landowner or parties acting on its instruction. BCM has not issued any instruction, provided resources, or participated in the forceful removal of residents from the property,” said Fuzile.
He said the Metro would continue to monitor the situation and urged all parties involved to follow due legal processes.
In a statement released on Wednesday, 19 November, the ARC said it was deeply concerned by the continued illegal occupation of government properties, including the invasion and illegal deforestation of protected natural forests at its Umtiza Research Farm.
“In May 2024, the ARC launched an eviction application against illegal land grabbers and unlawful occupiers of Farm 1345 in Umtiza. A final court order in the ARC’s favour was subsequently issued on 28 November 2024, declaring the occupation and land grabbing to be unlawful.
The illegal occupants were granted until 26 February 2025 to vacate the farm,” read the statement.
The ARC said that instead of adhering to the court order, the illegal occupants continued to illegally occupy the property, and some started turning the temporary structures into permanent houses.
The ARC confirmed that the farm is designated for agricultural research and development, and the eviction processes would continue as per the court order.
