Minister Simmers condemns the invasion of houses in Eerste River

It saddens me that we once again must condemn the criminal behavior of a few individuals whose actions have led to damage of government property and impacted on the delivery of 230 units at the Forrest Village project. 
  
I, in the strongest manner, condemn the invasion of the housing units at the Forest Village project. I am informed that some of these individuals are repeat offenders of perpetuating and inciting the invasion of government projects. Our preliminary report estimates the costs of this recent property invasion to be between R2 - R3 million.  
  
To date, this project has afforded 3 751 beneficiaries with adequate housing opportunities. Contrary to the misinformation in the public domain, 51% of this project’s beneficiaries have been sourced from the local community. Spreading misinformation and stirring up the community is not only predatory, but also a criminal act which now impacts on more than 200 families. The invasion of government units will not be tolerated and attempting to jump the queue ahead of law abiding citizens is inexcusable.  
  
The law enforcement agencies on the ground are encouraged to arrest any member of that public trespassing government property.