The land issue

Northam – Everybody has their own interpretation of the land issue. And certain groups of people share the same interpretation.

However, everybody wants to own their own property, whether it is a flat in the busy part of town or a plot on the outskirts of town.

The illegal occupation of land that is not even earmarked for development will end up in no one owning anything.

Illegal land invasions in Northam is on the increase. The latest being a few illegal landgrabbers trying their luck again on portion 127 of the farm Koedoedoorns 414, next to the Northam landfill site on Sunday 19 September. This despite an urgent interdict obtained by the Thabazimbi Local Municipality (TLM) preventing the respondents from allocating stands on the property to members of the community or erecting informal housing on the site. 

In a notice released by the TLM dated 22 September the TLM strongly discouraged this unlawful occupation. “A lot of land invasions and illegal developments within the municipality occur due to persons or organisations pegging out plots that are not viable for stands - for personal gain (receiving payment), which are then allocated or sometimes sold to uniformed community members.

This poses a great threat on future (physical) planning as well as infrastructure planning; and implementation of the municipal growth vision, thus impact on sustainable provision of basic service delivery (housing, roads, electricity, water and sanitation),” the statement read. 

A meeting between TLM and a community committee was scheduled for 22 September to discuss the issue. During the meeting it was decided to arrange a meeting with the community and their ward councillor and all relevant stakeholders, sometime the following week.

A large group of people (many of them not local community members) started gathering at the property during the afternoon (22 September), apparently in anticipation of the outcome of the meeting between the committee and the TLM.

Land ownership has been a burning issue and there is a genuine need for many people who don’t have a place they can call home.  Funny enough, it was not these people that popped up at the property. A video circulated on social media show well-to-do people, driving expensive cars, waiting to hear if they can get their slice of the illegal cake.

TLM communications manager Joshua Motsomane could not provide further information about the matter except that TLM condemns any form of land grabbing. At the time of going to print there was no sign of any illegal activities on the property.

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