Land ruling ‘positive’ - analysts

Political analysts believe that a South African court ruling on Tuesday, ordering the eviction of hundreds of squatters from a stretch of land in Gauteng province, will send a positive message to foreign investors that a “Zimbabwe scenario” will not be tolerated.

Hussein Solomon, professor of African politics at the University of Pretoria, told IRIN it had been important for the government and judiciary to demonstrate that private property rights in South Africa were “sacred”. He was speaking after the Pretoria High Court ordered the eviction of thousands of squatters from a tract of government and privately-owned land in Bredell on the East Rand.

The court gave the squatters 48 hours to move, failing which they would be forcibly evicted. The squatters, who paid politicians from the opposition Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) about US $3 each for a small plot of land, were denied leave to appeal the ruling in South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court.

According to news reports, Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza welcomed the ruling, but said: “This is not a matter for gloating or celebrating. It reaffirms the democratic principles of this country.” Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete left no doubt that the interdict would be enforced, Sapa reported. “They (the squatters) are going to move. Don’t you worry,” he was quoted saying.

The South African government has gone to great lengths in recent weeks to distance itself from Zimbabwe’s land reform policies, stressing that land invasions - for whatever reason - would not be tolerated. Didiza stated unequivocally that what has happened in Zimbabwe would not be allowed in South Africa.

Centre for Policy Studies foreign policy expert Zondi Masiza told IRIN on Tuesday that that court ruling would be good for South Africa’s image abroad, but noted that the government had acted promptly because the local currency, the rand, had been affected immediately after the squatters moved onto the land.

Commenting on the swiftness with which the government responded to the Bredell case, Solomon added: “One of the reasons the ministers rushed to the area and moved swiftly straight after the invasion is because the rand dropped. So it was not so much a question of land, but what it represents and whether private property rights are sacred - which every investor needs to have assurances on.”

Solomon said that the Bredell case was also positive for homeless South Africans. “Whether one agrees or disagrees (with the manner in which the land was invaded), the case points to a serious problem regarding land restitution, delivery and to the fact that patience is running thin among ordinary South Africans. It has put the issue on the agenda,” he said.