The Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu, has condemned the eviction of man who was seen on video being dragged naked out of his shack.
The incident happened in the Thembeni informal settlement in Cape Town.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Minister Sisulu said she's previously warned against unlawful acts even during illegal land invasions.
She says the violation of a person's dignity has no place in democratic South Africa.
Meanwhile, South Africa's parliamentary committee on police summoned the leadership of Cape Town’s municipal police service to give an explanation over the incident.
Committee chairwoman Tina Joemat-Pettersson said the actions were even more reprehensible given that such evictions were prohibited under the state of national disaster the government had declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The four officers involved have reportedly been suspended.
The City of Cape Town responded on it's official Twitter account stating that the land in question belonged to the City and was earmarked for the installation of services to serve the broader community in the area.
According to the City, there is a court order in place which allows only 49 households to temporarily remain on these grounds until after lockdown.
The City says new attempts are made every day by people invading and occupying the land.
