Landgrabs on the rise

Rustenburg – Members of Public Safety and the local South African Police Services (SAPS) were summoned to disperse would-be landgrabbers on Thursday, 17 May.

People were transported to the Rietvlei area on the N4 in large numbers. It was clearly a well organised affair. The people broke the fence to a smallholding next to the N4 and started staking out their claims, geared with all the necessary equipment to do so.

Captain Elsabé Augoustides, SAPS spokesperson, told the Platinum Weekly that landgrabbers had been staking out the area next to the N4 highway between Dr Moroka Drive and the Phokeng/ Suncity off-ramp for the past couple of days. 

A court summons was issued to have the landgrabbers evicted.
Members of the SAPS and representatives of the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) met with key community stakeholders to discuss the situation. 

“Officials of the municipality explained to the landgrabbers that the particular piece of land is not suited for occupation. Among other complications, none of the necessary infrastructure such as water, sewage or electricity is available on the property,” Augoustides said.

On Thursday morning the SAPS received orders to assist the Sherriff of the court to evict the landgrabbers and remove their structures.

“The situation was once again explained to nearly 200 people. Tempers began to flare and the landgrabbers protested the evictions. By 10h00 protestors had blocked the N4 highway in both directions. They laid large rocks in the road and burnt tyres and shrubbery. For security reasons, police members advised vehicles to turn around and use alternative routes to prevent trucks from being torched and cars being pelted with stones, as was the case in many of the recent protests in the North West,” Augoustides said. 

“While several heavy-duty vehicles turned around, a group of men arrived on the scene in a quantum minibus. They ordered the drivers out of the vehicles, drove the vehicles to the middle of the road, further blocking the traffic. They fled the scene, with the keys of the vehicles before police could stop them,” Augoustides told the Platinum Weekly.

While safety officers were trying to subdue the protestors, the Platinum Weekly received several reports from community members who said that the protestors were pelting vehicles with rocks and logs. The protestors also started to burn tyres and shrubbery on the Donkerhoek road, effectively cutting off all direct routes to Swartruggens, Groot Marico and Zeerust.

Police arrested 10 people and impounded two Quantum minibuses. A case of destruction of property has been opened.