Municipality warns land grabbers

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Published Aug 28, 2015

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Rustenburg – Legal action will be taken against people occupying land illegally at Mabele-a-Podi, in North West, the Moses Kotane municipality said on Friday.

“The Moses Kotane local municipality has noted with concern the reports of people who are allegedly selling municipal-owned land in the property adjacent to Mabele-a-Podi village near Mogwase,” said spokeswoman Beauty Makganye.

“It is therefore important that the municipality (as the owner of the property) inform the community at large that any transaction over Portion One of the Farm Rhenosterpruit 908 JQ will be illegal.”

She said legal action would be taken against anyone occupying any part of the farm without the permission or consent of the municipality.

“Anybody who wishes to buy municipal-owned land should do so by following proper process of the municipality.”

Meanwhile, civil rights organisation AfriForum said land grabs had increased and more could be expected as next year’s municipal elections approached.

This was after AfriForum was granted a court order at the Mahikeng High Court against the illegal occupation of land at a farm in Buffelspoort near Marikana.

AfriForum provincial co-ordinator Marcus Pawson said Dougie Lake and his father Johan van der Merwe of Rooikoppies smallholdings in Buffelspoort had been struggling to remove illegal land occupiers.

“Between 70 and 100 people, with Economic Freedom Fighters and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union uniforms, started measuring off the farm on Saturday last week (August 15) for occupation purposes.”

AfriForum approached the High Court in Mahikeng with an urgent application for an eviction order when more than 20 shacks had been erected on Van der Merwe’s land by August 21.

African News Agency

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