Stilfontein land grab: ANC disregards private property owners

30 July 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the divided ANC to stop using residents as pawns and collateral in their own infighting and power struggles.

The hundreds of families that started occupying land outside Stilfontein are being used by key ANC members to further their personal agendas, as it is nothing new that the ANC in the North West is at war against themselves.

It is shocking that vulnerable people that are desperate for housing are exploited to participate in illegal land grabs. The ANC is silent while this is happening and the City of Matlosana is not transparent about whether they will bring an interdict against the illegal occupants or not.

Where the DA governs, we are ahead in terms of instituting a real, meaningful land reform that empowers those left behind.

The ANC’s approach in Stilfontein of allowing people to invade land is criminal and a threat to the right to private property ownership. The ANC has failed the poor for too long and due to empty promises, people become desperate and more prone to abuse by a few fat cats for their own personal political agendas.

We have to respect property rights and realise it will hurt our economy and jobs if people simply grab land. It will further scare away investments and potential entrepreneurs who are vital for job creation and economic growth.

By contrast, the DA’s approach is to hand out title deeds. Where we govern, we have already distributed over 100 000 title deeds, empowering over 100 000 families with ownership of an asset they can use to raise a loan to start a business - an asset they can leave to their children.

The DA has a proud record on land reform and its no secret that we reject land expropriation without compensation.

We have a proactive, positive land reform agenda which seeks to make individuals real property owners. We envision a South Africa in which every person can own property, and that the circumstances of their birth are no impediment to them acquiring and accumulating wealth-creating assets.

We call on all South Africans to reject populism, embrace constitutionalism, and work together to build One South Africa For All.

Issued by Joe McGluwa, DA NW Provincial Leader, 30 July 2019