The chaos that erupted in Khayelitsha on Wednesday over illegal land grabs has subsided, with traffic on the N2 now free flowing in Cape Town, Western Cape police said on Thursday.”It has been quiet overnight. We deployed members of the police force to all affected areas last night and again this morning,” Colonel Tembinkosi Kinana told News24.

“The protesters dispersed and we continue to maintain a strong presence in the area.

“It’s very quiet, and under control,” he added.

Kinana confirmed that one arrest was made, and investigations are ongoing.

Western Cape police Lieutenant-General Arno Lamoer said five public violence charges have been opened under the illegal gatherings act, EWN reported on Thursday.

Traffic SA’s Rob Byrne tweeted on Thursday morning that the N2 was open again near Khayelithsa.

Land grabs

On Wednesday, News24 reported that land invaders will attempt to hit several areas around Cape Town simultaneously in an attempt to spread police officials too thin, said the City of Cape Town’s JP Smith.

Smith said the city was expecting further land grabs and crime intelligence suggested that invaders would try to target open plots of land in Khayelitsha, Manenberg and Gugulethu.

By Wednesday morning, about 2 000 people were on the land in Khayelitsha and had begun erecting structures near Nolungile railway station in Site C, lead by the Economic Freedom Fighters Nazier Paulsen and Bernard Joseph.

Smith, the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, said the structures were being dismantled in a joint operation by public order policing, the City of Cape Town, metro police, and South African police officials.

Smith added that the city had laid charges against Paulsen and Joseph, and would be notifying the speakers of Parliament and the Western Cape legislature of their actions. News24