Chaos broke out in Delft when a group of legal occupants moved into their N2 Gateway houses on Tuesday in the face of resistance from people evicted from the houses last month.
Police fired rubber bullets at the crowd and let off stun grenades. One of the protesters was arrested.
People living in tents on the outskirts of the development having been evicted from the houses after invading them illegally reacted with anger when the first batch of legal residents arrived to take occupation of their new homes.
Police spokesperson Captain Elliot Sinyangana said police were forced to fire rubber bullets at the crowd and let off stun grenades because they "refused to co-operate".
He said the group stopped new residents from moving in, prompting security to call the police.
Many of the squatters, however, felt it was unfair that other people were allowed to move in to the houses, while they were being forced to sleep outside in flimsy tents.
"The people feel that it is not right for people who have been on the waiting list three or four years to be given a house when people who have been waiting 15 years get nothing," one said. "That is why they became so angry," she said.
Another resident, Carol Farao, said some irate residents had begun tearing down a fence around the informal settlement because they felt they were being "caged in like prisoners".
Four families who had been squatting on a field had apparently also been allowed to move in .
Residents expected more trucks, loaded with new neighbours, to turn up this week to claim their houses. - Cape Argus
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