Community illegally occupying private land opposite Maitland Cemetery demands services

CAPE TOWN - A community illegally occupying private land opposite the Maitland Cemetery is demanding water, sanitation and electricity services. 

On Wednesday, a protest forced the closure of Voortrekker Road in Kensington. 

Ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg said the metro could not address the needs of the community, because the land belonged to the Ndabeni Communal Property Trust. 

Steenberg said that he'd explained the situation at a meeting with community leaders on Wednesday. 

The KenFac Ratepayers Association and the Kensington Community Policing Forum were also present. 

Steenberg said that he'd made it clear that the matter was sensitive and required a balancing act, taking into account the right to water and sanitation but also the illegal occupation of land. 

He said that the land owner had failed to address the community's demands and he therefore requested the City of Cape Town's legal services to intervene to encourage the owner to secure the land by any means necessary.