The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) supports the establishment of landowner forums in Gauteng’s rural areas as a form of self-governance.
On Wednesday, the communities of Hekpoort and Hartbeesfontein established such a forum with the help of the Freedom Front Plus.
Landowners are very vulnerable seeing as the police, provincial government and local authorities are failing them because of harmful policies, mismanagement and corruption.
Gauteng comprises around 1,4% of South Africa, but is home to more than a quarter of the country’s population. Gauteng is the preferred destination for more than half a million new immigrants annually.
The provincial government and local authorities cannot keep up with the demand for housing in towns and cities, so, people are relocated in large numbers to the rural areas where informal settlements are springing up like mushrooms.
Consequently, ground water and rivers are polluted by litter and raw sewage, which jeopardises agricultural activities and tourism. It also threatens the availability of potable water as a scarce resource.
There are very few job opportunities for the people residing in these informal settlements, so, crime is drastically increasing while nearby farms are stripped of wood for energy.
The Gauteng government is busy creating a humanitarian crisis that is playing out against the backdrop of restrictive legislation, such as the Soil Conservation Act, the Expropriation Act and the Fair Access to Land Bill, which aim to bring landownership in line with South Africa’s racial demographics.
This legislation puts immense pressure on landowners.
It is, therefore, crucial that landowners pool their resources to ensure their own safety as a community in addition to designated law enforcement agencies.
This should also empower communities to stop illegal land occupations, and negotiate with government or private institutions to attract investments, thus promoting environmental conservation and tourism.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep advocating for the devolution of power and greater decision-making at community level where authorities have failed in their constitutional mandate.
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