“That President Cyril Ramaphosa and his party still make claims on land for ‘their’ people, creates further confusion in the country. They actually encourage more violence in rural areas, due to people who will try to occupy land and who will receive increasing resistance from legal land owners,” says Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Safety.
Cameron adds that the perception could be created that land can be taken, in spite of legislation that is still currently supposed to protect land owners’ property rights. “Communities simply have to organise in groups that allow them to, within the framework of the law, protect their property,” he says.
Cameron is of the opinion that land owners must ensure that they know what their rights are in terms of the protection of their property. AfriForum will in future help to further train community members through practical exercises regarding property protection.