Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said that land earmarked for housing development will be cleared of illegal structures by Wednesday afternoon.
In a statement, the Metro said that the Sheriff of the court and the SAPS on Tuesday began executing a court order in iKamvelihle, Ramaposa, NU29 and Wells Estate.
It said that was to ensure that the land was entirely vacant “so that this government can begin surveying and excavating for the development of RDP and Social housing projects.”
Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Nqaba Bhanga, said that some residents whose homes were due to be built on this land have been waiting for over 20 years.
“This government does not want these residents to wait any longer, thus we will ensure that development of these projects continues unabated,” he said.
“12 000 residential opportunities, along with title deeds, will be provided to Nelson Mandela Bay residents over the next three years,” Bhanga said.
“Tens of thousands of residents will become first-time home owners thanks to the joint effort of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Social Housing Department and the Housing Development Agency,” he added.
The evictions had sparked violent protests with at least eight vehicle petrol-bombed while others were stoned.
A German couple travelling from Addo were also attacked and their car damaged. One person suffered slight injuries.
Bhanga said most of the structures that had been removed “were mere frames erected in an attempt to reserve sites for illegal occupation, with a handful of these having a tin sheet attached vertically.”
He said there was an “unfortunate rumour doing the rounds that illegal occupation of land allows one to circumvent the housing waiting list”, which he said was not true.
Anyone who wishes to apply for a RDP house should do so through the correct channels, Bhanga said.
