Expropriation: ‘I’ll burn it all down’
An owner will ‘destroy it all’ before allowing it to be taken.
Seven West Rand properties reportedly earmarked for expropriation.
The owner of three properties in the Zwartkop area on Gauteng’s West Rand, which is allegedly a target area for government’s test run for expropriation without compensation, says he will destroy them rather than let them be taken.
Lobby group AfriForum at the weekend released a list of 190 properties it claims are earmarked by government for expropriation without compensation.
It was claimed last week that the ANC had identified 139 farms for this purpose. AfriForum’s list, however, has 190 properties.
AfriForum CEO Ernst Roets said he feared many of the property owners were unaware they were on the list. The seven West Rand properties allegedly earmarked for expropriation are Zwartkop, Golden Valley, Vogelstruisfontein, Tweefontein, Elandsfontein, Witstinkhoutboom and Witstinkhoutboom Project.
The owner of one of the properties, speaking anonymously, said he was afraid of being victimised, having been attacked repeatedly on his property. “I have opened more than 20 cases at the police station, four for attempted murder. But nothing is ever done. They take fingerprints and I never hear from them again.
“All these attacks make us feel they are softening us up. Like it’s all orchestrated, with expropriation without compensation as the end goal,” he said.
He bought one of his properties at a bankruptcy auction seven years ago. “Anyone could have bought it,” he said. “Now what? Do we just walk away silently? Or are we going to take a stand? That raises the question of whether we will take a stand alone or together.
“There are obviously many ways we could try and counter this, such as turning to the United Nations and using social media to garner support. I can promise you one thing though, if they come for my land, I will burn it to the ground. They will get nothing,” he said.
But he said it would be reckless to start “war talk” if AfriForum’s list had not been verified.
I will burn it to the ground. They’ll get nothing.