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South Africa: Cape Town's Anti-Land Invasion Unit Is Unlawful, Argues SAHRC
GroundUp, 1 April 2021
Demolition of structures and removal of land occupiers without a court order is unconstitutional, says advocate Read more »
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South Africa: Western Cape Commences Hearing On Illegal Occupations, 25 Mar
Govt of SA, 23 March 2021
The case in the consideration of the common law right of counter-spoliation by landowners as a legitimate means to repel land invasions, launched as part B of an application by the… Read more »
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South Africa: MEC Tertuis Simmers Pleased With Submissions in Court Case On Legality of Halting Illegal Invasions
Govt of SA, 27 November 2020
Western Cape Government concludes submissions in court case on legality of halting illegal invasions when in progress Read more »
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South Africa: Land Invasions and Eskom Debt Contribute to Distress of Emalahleni Local Municipality
Parliament of South Africa, 27 October 2020
Mpumalanga permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) today met with Emalahleni Local Municipality, the provincial Treasury, as well as the Department of… Read more »
Anti-Land Invasion Unit Is Unlawful - South African Rights Body
The establishment and operation of the City of Cape Town's Anti-Land Invasion Unit (ALIU) is unlawful, because it is mandated to demolish structures without needing a court order, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has argued in the Western Cape High Court. The case on the legality of evicting land occupiers was reheard in court after the matter could not be resolved by two judges in December 2020. In its heads of argument, the SAHRC said that the ALIU "is not bound by the same rules and standards as the South African Police Services or the city's metro police" and that it is "merely a sub-department within the City".
In August 2020, a Western Cape High Court judgement ruled that the City of Cape Town's ALIU will not be allowed to evict anyone or demolish their homes without a court order while the country is in a national state of disaster. The SAHRC wants the ruling to extend beyond the national state of disaster.
InFocus
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The South African government recently announced a plan to allocate 700,000 hectares of state land to black farmers. Exactly how many farms and beneficiaries this will involve is ... Read more »
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Judges Shehnaz Meer and Rosheni Allie in the Western Cape High Court have granted an interim relief stating that the City of Cape Town must have a court order to evict anyone or ... Read more »
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Several shops in Woodlands, Mitchells Plain, were looted overnight after protesters occupied land in the area. Police called on landowners to take reasonable steps to protect their ... Read more »
The Cape Town Anti-land Invasion Unit demolishes shacks in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay (file photo).
