Land Grab Crisis Escalates in South Africa’s Makana Municipality

Residents Defy Mayor, Seize Commercial Land Amid Housing Shortage

Over 1,000 residents stormed vacant land near the R67 in Makana Local Municipality on July 27, 2025, defying Executive Mayor Yandiswa Vara’s pleas to halt illegal occupation of commercially zoned property.

The group, citing a dire housing shortage, began demarcating sites and erecting structures, prompting the municipality to open a land invasion case.

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South African Police Service (SAPS) officers monitored the tense scene as Vara explained the land’s designation for business development.

Residents, undeterred, vowed to build forcefully, echoing a national surge in land grabs “protected” by the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act and fueled by the new Expropriation Act, which allows seizures without compensation in specific cases.

READ: Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway Story Exposes South Africa’s Land Grab Crisis

The municipality proposed forming a committee to address housing needs, but tensions persist.

This clash exposes South Africa’s deepening property rights crisis, where desperation for homes collides with legal and economic priorities, risking further unrest.