31 October 2004
31 families living in Austern farm, west of Soshanguve in Pretoria, resolved to resist and oppose their pending eviction by the land-owner who has obtained a court order to this effect in violation of the community's right to land and shelter, and without providing them with alternative accommodation. This resolution was unanimously supported by the 31 families who attended a Landless People's Tribunal held in the farm earlier today. "The community expects the court sheriff to come to the area tomorrow to enforce the court order. The community is mobilising to oppose this and to seek legal advice and action.", said Moses Maphuthuma, leader of the Austern farm dwellers. The deadline the land-owner set for the community to leave the farm was today. The SACP Tshwane district is supporting the community in this struggle by facilitating meetings with the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and lawyers.
Meanwhile another 200 families are facing eviction from Plots 117 and 175 farms in the Kameeldrift area, east of Pretoria, near Roodeplaat dam. Plot 117 is owned by Charles Burns who has not engaged the community at all in any consultation about their needs and the intended eviction. In July, the community received an unsigned eviction notice from a particular S.J. Momberg purporting to be acting on behalf of Charles Burns. This notice does not have the name of any law firm, no phone number or contact address. According to the notice, the community's last day at the plot is today. Many of the residents have been on the land for more than 10 years, some going back to 1974, and many were recruited by him to stay on, and rent the land. In a similar Landless People's Tribunal, the community of Plot 117 resolved to resist the eviction and consult the Legal Resources Centre in the Pretoria CBD for legal advice and action.
These Tribunals follow other actions against evictions and for accelerated land reform which took place under the banner of the Communist Party since Friday, 29 October:
Cronin, SACP Deputy General Secretary, held succesful meetings and rallies with farmers, farm workers, farm dwellers and landless communities in the rural towns of Ugie and Maclear, in the North Eastern Cape. "There is lots of poverty in the area. The white commercial farmers have donated land to poor communities. The meetings were a clear indication that more must be done to accelerate land reform and to provide beneficiaries with support with agricultural equipment, access to markets and credit", said Cronin. In the meetings, the white commercial farmers expressed willingness to sit down, talk and co-operate with landless communities.
In contrast to this positive attitude from commercial farmers in the Maclear and Ugie areas, the Eastern Cape Agricultural Union refused to send a representative to receive a memorandum of demands from more than 1,000 SACP-led marchers in Queenstown yesterday. The march highlighted the problems of land inequality in the area where there is massive unemployment on the one end compared to ostentatious riches on the other on the basis of exploitation of land and people by a small number of land-owners who own more than 75% of all productive land in the area. "Yesterday's march was an important signal to the commercial farmers that our people cannot tolerate land inequality and exploitation anymore. We will now focus on building People's Land Committees to take forward the land strugglė", said Siphiwo Ndunyana, SACP District Secretary in Queenstown (Chris Hani District).
These activities were the final lap of activities before the final week preceding the National Day of Action for Land, Bread and Work which will be made of an SACP-led national march to Agri-SA offices in Pretoria and 8 provincial marches in other provincial centres on Saturday, 6 November.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Head of the Office of the General Secretary
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339-3621; Fax - 011 339 4244/6880
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - mazibuko@sacp.org.za and sacpho@wn.apc.org