Land Expropriation in South Africa: The Real Story of the Seizures
While South African leaders dismiss claims of illegal land grabs, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Farms are being invaded, fences torn down, and farmers forced off their land, with zero action from law enforcement or government officials. They say land grabs are to correct part injustices, but in reality - it's for China.
Willem Petzer
Feb 27, 2025 - 2:58 PM
Land Grabs and Foreign Interests
With the signing of the Expropriation Without Compensation Bill on January 23, 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa granted the government the authority to seize private property without compensation. While officials frame the law as a step toward historical justice and land reform, the reality is far more troubling. Ramaphosa's actions are aiding foreign powers, particularly China.
Despite mounting evidence, Ramaphosa and DA leader John Steenhuisen continue to downplay concerns about land grabs. They insist that no farms are being unlawfully confiscated. However, for local farmers, the situation is undeniable: farms are being threatened, invaded, and the police are failing to take action.
The 2018 Akkerland Farm Takeover Warning
The Akkerland farm, a 3,000-hectare game property in Limpopo, was owned by Johan Steenkamp and Arnold Cloete, who were served with an eviction notice in March 2018. The government gave them only seven days to vacate, a timeframe that violated South African law, where a minimum of thirty days is considered a reasonable eviction notice. The state offered just $1.2 million—10% of the farm's $12 million value—as compensation, justifying the action with land redistribution claims. However, the true motivation was likely the region’s mineral wealth.
Akkerland was situated in the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, which was tied to a $10 billion Chinese investment project. This project included a 4,600MW coal-fired power station and targeted the area’s rich coal deposits. Many farms in the region, including Akkerland, held valuable mineral rights, as revealed in a 2017 ANC list of 196 farms earmarked for expropriation.
Despite a legal battle, the Land Claims Court declared the expropriation unlawful in September 2018, citing procedural reasons. However, by 2019, mounting pressure, both legal and political, forced Steenkamp and Cloete to sell their farm to a mining firm—not out of desire, but out of necessity, due to ongoing court disputes and political coercion.
The Land Grab at Ysselmonde: A More Recent Disaster
The Taaibosch community took control of the 3,000-hectare Ysselmonde farm in Limpopo in July 2024. After tearing down the four-mile barrier, the locals transported their livestock onto the property on July 7. Politicians had persuaded the locals that they had the right to acquire the property, which was valued over $2.2 million, for nothing.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) was notified of the incursion by the farm owner, but Alldays and Malebogo officers did nothing. Threats of death, damage to property, attempts at arson, and theft ensued. Eleven cases were brought by the owner, but none of them advanced.
He tried everything when faced with lawlessness, even hiring private protection, but the expenses were too high. His black farmworkers were beaten and fled in terror. Left alone, he abandoned the farm. As he walked away, the invaders sang “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer.”
Expropriation: The True Cost of Land Reform
This is only a tiny portion of the Iceberg. A growing number of land seizures are occurring in South Africa as a result of government inaction and political posturing. Other recent incidents include:
• The violent extortion and intimidation of a citrus farm in Ishowe, KwaZulu-Natal;
• The abandonment of several farms near the Lesotho border as a result of increased lawlessness;
• The invasion of a farm in Mpumalanga that produced fruit of export quality by land invaders, resulting in millions of dollars in damages.
Land grabs used to be violent and disorderly, as in Zimbabwe. The government has now provided them with legal protection via the 2025 Expropriation Bill.
China, Ramaphosa, and the Land Crisis
Although the ANC portrays expropriation as a form of justice, its true intentions are more complex. China's Musina-Makhado industrial zone targeted Akkeland because of its mineral resources. South Africa has received billions in Chinese loans, frequently including land and resources; in Mpumalanga, expropriated land was later transferred to foreign investors rather than black farmers as they claimed. This is about economic agreements that benefit the elite rather than regular South Africans, and it goes beyond simply redressing historical wrongs.
There will be dire repercussions if this keeps up. Farm closures will lead to a breakdown in food security. The uncertainty of property rights will drive off foreign investors. As agricultural jobs disappear, rural areas will suffer. Violent language and government inaction will exacerbate racial tensions.
Trump Was Right
When Donald Trump warned about land seizures in South Africa, the media mocked him. Politicians called it misinformation. But the facts prove otherwise. Land grabs are happening. The government is allowing them.
White South Africans are increasingly bearing the brunt of lawlessness as it spreads across the country. If the situation isn't addressed soon, South Africa’s future could be at risk. Afrikaners, who contribute a significant portion of the nation's tax base and GDP, are crucial to the country's economic stability. Without their support, the nation faces grave consequences.
Willem Petzer
Commentator | Opinion Maker