Government should attend to demands for land where need is reasonably urgent
Dialogue with citizenry must be strengthened to find solutions
At the end of last year an agitated Gauteng premier David Makhura issued an ultimatum against land invasion.
It was a legitimate concern, not a political gimmick. But first, let’s put Makhura’s statement in a historical context.
As a universal principle, the earth was created for the benefit of all its inhabitants. It was only after many millennia that different parts of the earth were occupied, developed, conquered and monopolised by clans, groups and nations for their own use and benefit, very often to the exclusion of others.
South Africa is no exception. It is common cause that our history is replete with stories of how our land was partitioned into indigenous territories (Ngunis, Sothos, Vendas, Shangaans) Boer republics, and later British possessions.
The ultimate betrayal of Africans by the British was when the Union of South Africa was created in 1910. It excluded blacks from political and economic centres of power.
It therefore came as no surprise that in 1913 the then new regime formalised the theft and land dispossession which many white settlers had acquired either through the barrel of the gun or by deceitful transactions.
By a stroke of the pen 87% of the land was set aside for white occupation. This was in anticipation of the formal declaration of South Africa as an apartheid state in 1948.
The debate and demand for the return of the land to its rightful owners has been raging for decades. Not even our post-1994 government has dealt adequately with the problem. Many obnoxious laws were indeed amended and replaced by progressive ones.
The biggest weakness on the side of government has been either a tardy implementation or downright failure, the causes of which may be complex.
Makhura’s call for an immediate stop to the land grab anarchy must be understood against this backdrop. It would be irresponsible for anyone to condemn the land invaders as criminals.
Why are they resorting to unlawful behaviour? The answer needs no rocket scientist. Like all poor people the world over, these people need a piece of land to live on, protect themselves from the elements to ensure
‘‘ Illegal land grabs encourage lawlessness
their security, eke out some existence, access basic services like water, electricity, sanitation, health care, education for their kids and engage in economic activities.
In short, they want our constitution to be implemented. Corruption and fraud in the allocation of land or houses have led many to despair. Hence the unseemly rush to grab!
For all we know, many might have already paid a bribe and therefore expected the municipalities to deliver.
To exacerbate the situation the culprits who made the deals are no longer in council or have lost their political clout. In dealing with this complex challenge, the premier must keep the following factors in mind.
Gauteng province is a magnet that attracts thousands of immigrants annually.
Makhura must strengthen the dialogue between government and the citizenry. During the Struggle, we had well organised street and area committees and leaders in all sectors of the communities.
Even the apartheid regime knew that in order to consult people they had to do so through the leaders.
Alas, those days are gone. Today you often see 12-yearold preteens leading service delivery protests and demanding RDP houses!
A multi-pronged strategy will of necessity also include engagements with national departments. For example, the headache about porous borders cannot be the sole responsibility of any province.
Illegal land grabs, by definition, encourage the culture of lawlessness. South Africa is already paying a huge price for being lenient on lawlessness.
Where land is available to meet reasonable demands from those who qualify, the government must give audience to them with a view to finding an orderly resolution to their demands.
A raw iron-fist approach may be counter-productive. That said, though, the governors must govern.