The Republican Conference of Tshwane has distanced itself from allegations made against the political party’s former councillor candidate who has been accused of illegally selling plots of land in Erasmia and Sunderland Ridge for R5 000.
The accused, Sanyboy Malebe, was an Republican Conference councillor candidate during the 2021 local government elections.
City of Tshwane MMC for Utility Services Themba Fosi said the councillor candidate was allegedly involved in the illicit sale of land near Centurion.
Fosi issued a stern warning, saying the City took a stand against land invasion with criminal charges opened against offenders.
He said the rate of land grabs in Erasmia and Sunderland Ridge has reached unprecedented levels.
The City, he said, lodged a criminal case at the Erasmia Police Station against the individuals involved in the illegal land invasion.
The case was opened following inspections made this week, revealing that stands in the area were illegally sold for approximately R5 000 by unscrupulous individuals “looking to enrich themselves at the expense of our City and communities”.
Fosi said: “Rampant land invasion not only poses a threat to neighbouring businesses and law-abiding residents, but also strains the City’s infrastructure, including water and electricity systems as illegal occupants tap into these essential services.”
He denounced lawlessness in the area, saying the City was committed to ensuring that those responsible for these illegal acts were held accountable for their actions.
“We welcome any arrests that may be made in connection with this matter. In addition to pursuing legal action against the land invaders, we have also filed a criminal case against the Republican Conference councillor candidate allegedly involved in the illicit sale of land,” he said.
He said the City would reach out to Republican Conference leader Lex Middelberg “to ensure that those responsible for the unauthorised sale of municipal and provincial land are brought to justice”.
Middelberg said yesterday the statement made by Fosi was misleading because it gave an impression that the councillor candidate in question would soon contest the by-election.
“There is no by-election other than the by-election for ward 2 (on April 24). That person was, back in 2021, an Republican Conference candidate. This is very misleading. He has not renewed his membership, which lapsed at the end of 2021. What he does now I have no control over because he is not a member of our party. We can’t do anything about it,” he said.
He said he didn’t know the facts around the alleged incident except what was contained in the City’s media statement.
“There is nothing we can do about it because he has not been a member of Republican Conference for the last two years,” he said.
Pretoria News