Land Grabbing in South Africa

 This article relates to my earlier article "South Africa's Rolling Clouds"

It must be to everyone that Zimbabwe-style land grabbing is being implemented in the New South Africa. The ANC has no control over the ANC Youth League and there is an obvious battle for power between the ANC Regime and their Youth League.

The ANCYL has no intention of losing this battle, while the ANC Regime is incapable of handling the situation.


This is the beginning of South Africa's Revolution.

ANCYL members storm private land
Oct 31 2011 09:10

Durban - A group of people has invaded private land in Hilton outside Pietermaritzburg, claiming it belongs to ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, according to a report on Monday.
Land owner Rusty Roodt told The Witness newspaper he would approach the high court in Pietermaritzburg on Monday to obtain a court order to stop people from invading his land.

He said the police had done nothing to stop the land invasion at Winterskloof in Hilton.

One of the land invaders reportedly said: "We are continuing what we started when we marched on Thursday and Friday to reclaim what is ours," in reference to an economic freedom march from Johannesburg to Pretoria led by Malema.

Earlier this month the SA President said :

Zuma: No Zim-style land grabs in SA
Oct 03 2011 09:44

Johannesburg - Zimbabwean-style land grabs will not happen in South Africa, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.

"I don't think the South African and Zimbabwean constitutions are the same. Our constitution is very important because it guides us on what we do," Zuma said.

He was speaking during a business breakfast in Sandton on Monday morning presented by New Age newspaper and the SABC.

The session was organised to give the president the opportunity to update the country about the progress Zuma's administration had made since the state of the nation address, at the start of the year.

The land question was asked by Mduduzi Vilane, who wanted to know if South Africa had plans to avoid what happened in Zimbabwe, where land belonging to whites was taken without compensation as part of the country's land redistribution programme.

Zuma described the issue of land redistribution as a serious matter that needed attention, adding that everything needed to be done according to law.

He said they were looking at reopening the process of lodging land claims because the process had been short. The cutoff date for lodging claims was December 1998.


While just a few days ago malema said :

Malema: Refuse to vacate land
Oct 24 2011 08:01

Johannesburg - ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has urged hundreds of Bantu Bonke township residents in Vereeniging not to vacate the mineral-rich land they occupy, should anyone want them to move.

"We heard Anglo (mining company) wants you to move... they said there's alternative land because they have discovered a mineral," Malema told the community in a packed hall on Sunday.

He said they had the right to continue living on their land and be party to mining and agricultural activity.

"Even the houses they want to give you are not proper houses. The land must be given to the people... people have been killed for this land."

AfriForum has laid a criminal charge of incitement to sedition against Malema, after he told people in Thembelihle in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, last week to forcefully occupy land.

On Saturday, Malema told residents in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, that he would not respond to AfriForum's criminal charges. He said he was prepared to go to jail in his fight for the poor.

Malema's visits are a way of drumming up support ahead of the league's "economic freedom" mass march expected to take place on Thursday and Friday. The league will target the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in Sandton, the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg and the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Malema, donning a black beret, said the government must return the land owned by white farmers to its people.

"They (whites) found us here. They did not bring any land nor did they bring any minerals."

He then broke into his alternative rendition of Dubul' iBhunu (shoot the boer) called "kiss the boer", dancing and waving his fist as people took videos and pictures of him, while others joined in chorus.

He left in convoy soon after his address.

So far, Malema has visited Thembelihle, Diepsloot and Ivory Park and the Methodist Church at Ratanda in Heidelburg to mobilise support for the march.

His message constantly stressed the fight for economic emancipation, and ensuring that communities benefit from democracy.

A few community members that had waited in anticipation for Malema's arrival in Evaton ended up leaving the Sicelo Community Hall where he was scheduled to speak on Sunday afternoon.

It later emerged that Malema abandoned the rest of his Sunday programme, which also included a visit to Sebokeng's Zone 14, due to "logistical reasons".

"We were not comfortable in terms of preparations. People have been told that he won't be coming any more," said the league's additional member to the national executive committee Khusela Sangoni.

It was unlikely that Malema would return to these places due to his hectic programme ahead of the march, she said.

His disciplinary hearing will continue on Wednesday, at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

It is speculated that ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni will be the final witnesses to testify on Malema's defence.

Malema has been charged by the ANC in connection with his call for regime change in Botswana.

According to the land-grabbers :

Invaded land 'belongs to Malema'
2011-10-31 10:06
Thobani Ngqulunga and Stephanie Saville, The Witness

Pietermaritzburg - The owner of a tract of land in Winterskloof, Hilton, will approach the KwaZulu-Natal High Court on Monday to obtain a court order to stop people from invading his land in Crompton Road.

Residents on Sunday complained that people clearing the land have told them the land “belongs to Malema”.

One resident said he was called a “settler” and told that his land would also be taken.

Landowner Rusty Roodt told The Witness the police in Hilton have failed to act on his complaints that people are invading his land; and nothing has been done to halt them.

Pegs

He said pegs were knocked into his land a week ago and on Sunday morning earthmoving equipment was brought in to level the land.

“I went to my office and got my rates accounts and an aerial map of my land to show the people, but they would not budge. They are just taking my land, so I am going to court.”

Richard Heathcote, who lives opposite the site, said the invaders have begun clearing right over Umgeni Water’s pipeline. “The police are doing nothing.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said that when her husband asked the crowd there what they were doing they threatened him, calling him a “settler”.

“They said they would take our land too.”

She said the invaders had removed the number plates from their vehicles so they could not be identified.

The community of Mpumuza are adamant that the land belongs to them and said there is nothing illegal about their actions because they are reclaiming what is rightfully theirs.

“We are continuing what we started when we marched on Thursday and Friday to reclaim what is ours,” said a resident who refused to be named.

Forcefully removed

Former Ward 2 councillor Sibusiso Ntuli said, “We have families that were forcefully removed from this area - like the Ngubanes, Mhlongos, Ngcobos, Mtshahes and many others. There is even a grave of the late iNkosi Zondi in this plot to prove that this area belongs to the Mpumuza tribal authority.”

He said people are simply claiming what is theirs and that if Roodt claims it is his property then he must produce the title deeds.

“We are tired of seeing black people being oppressed because we have even applied to reclaim this piece of land.”

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Joey Jeevan said the police are awaiting documentation to prove who the legal owner of the land is.

“If it is found that the land is under claim the matter will be referred to the land claims commission.”

Land grab saga in KZN
October 31 2011 at 09:35pm

A leader in an alleged land grab was selling off plots, claiming he was entitled to do so because “the land belonged to the Zulu people”.

Agronomist Edmund (Rusty) Roodt, who owns the 82 hectare concerned, said this in an urgent application in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.

Judge Ron McLaren interdicted the respondent, Philani Bha Ndlovu, or anyone acting for him, from entering the property until finalisation of the matter on November 21.

Roodt submitted his title deeds for the land, which is in Winterskloof.

Roodt said he saw about 20 people measuring plots on October 29

and knocking in pegs, typical of land demarcation.

On Sunday, October 30 he saw a bulldozer levelling plots that were demarcated the previous day.

He contacted Ndlovu, who is a businessman, who came to the scene.

Roodt told the court that Ndlovu said: “The land belongs to the Zulu people... the land belongs to the Ngonyama Trust.”

Roodt said he told Ndlovu the land belonged to his company, Farmers Nuco, that neither Ndlovu or anyone else was entitled to demarcate plots and try to occupy the land.

“The respondent (Ndlovu) replied that he was selling the plots and that he was entitled to do so,” Roodt said.

He denied that Zulu people ever lived or owned any of the properties in Winterskloof.

A Chief Zondi lived about two km from Farmers Nuco.

“Ndlovu and those who believe they may simply grab another's land and that this land was previously part of Zondi's land are mistaken,” said Roodt.

Ndlovu, who represented himself in court, was told by Judge McLaren that he should file opposing affidavits on November 11 and that Roodt should file replying affidavits if needed by November 18. - Sapa