By Anél Powell
Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich says residents of Hout Bay's informal settlements must "stake their claims" and kick those living on "large farms" off their land.
At an election rally ahead of February municipal by-election, Ehrenreich said: "There is a need to take some of the land from the white communities and redistribute this to the townships that are going up in Hout Bay."
Ehrenreich told the Cape Times on Wednesday that, while informal residents should do what they could to acquire more land lawfully, they should also stake their claims for land from their neighbours, many of whom live on "huge farms".
The City of Cape Town and the provincial department of housing and local government met in 2006 about 16 hectares of government-owned land in Hout Bay that could be used for housing.
ANC regional secretary Mbulelo Ncedana said the party did not share Cosatu's position that land should be forcibly claimed in Hout Bay. "There are legal processes that must be followed."
But he agreed that the issue of the vacant 16ha had yet to be resolved.
Ehrenreich said the claims should not be seen as "land grabs", but as the equitable distribution of resources.
Vumile Ncedani, spokesperson for the housing department, said discussions with residents and the Hout Bay Ratepayers' Association were continuing.
Morris Nongabe of the South African Community Party in Hout Bay said all organisations needed to work together to find a solution to the issue.