Land Grabs in Bronkhorstspruit – AfriBusiness to go to court

AfriBusiness was informed this week of land grabs in the Bronkhorstspruit area. People who are affected by these land grabs provided evidence of EFF members using Facebook to call on members to take certain areas of land for themselves. AfriForum will submit an urgent application to the North Gauteng High Court today at 12:00 to prevent individuals from continuing their illegal occupation of the land and to remove those who have already settled on the land.

Update:

Land grabs in Bronkhorstspruit – AfriBusiness obtains interim court order

AfriBusiness succeeded in obtaining an interim court order in the Pretoria High Court today to remove illegal land occupiers in the Bronkhorstspruit area. This follows after AfriBusiness was informed by some of its members that land grabs are currently taking place in Bronkhorstspruit, where after an urgent court application was brought in the High Court. Further evidence emerged on Facebook where alleged EFF members posted messages, calling on individuals to start occupying pieces of land in the area.

AfriBusiness was informed that the owners of a company affected by the land grabs were allegedly assaulted, threatened and intimidated when trying to approach the illegal occupiers on the property. A case of assault was opened against the assailants who in turn opened a case of assault against the property owners. No arrests have yet been made.

A neighbouring farmer’s property is also affected and some of his pasture and feed was allegedly set alight by the illegal occupiers. According to the farmer, some of his farm workers warned him that if he posed resistance, his property would allegedly be burnt to the ground by the occupiers. He has moved his family to a safe location pending the outcome of the court application.

According to sources, the police did not succeed in removing the illegal occupiers from the property, and were not able to render any further assistance to the land owners.

“After being contacted by the land owners, we could not just sit back and let this event continue as it is a direct infringement of our constitutional property rights,” said Armand Greyling, Law and Policy Analyst at AfriBusiness. “South Africa is facing great uncertainty with regards to the safety and protection of property in the country.”

The case will be heard in court on 1 June 2016.

Statements issued by Armand Greyling, AfriBusiness/AfriSake: Law and Policy Analyst, 15 April 2016