Land occupiers quash forestry jobs project

Cape Town - The growing land invasion at a Grabouw plantation named Knoflokskraal means thousands of jobs that were going to be created for Overberg residents will not materialise.

This as Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creecy fears that the 1 800 hectares of land is no longer suitable for forestry plantations.

She is now planning to return the farmland to its initial owners, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

This emerged on Wednesday when Creecy, with Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile, briefed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries about the plantation and investigation into the organised land invasion.

The invasion started in 2020 with about seven people, but officials couldn’t act due to regulations at that time.

It has since grown to 4 000 residents on three properties.

According to Creecy the area falls under the forests they wanted to put out for lease, and where possible entered into community forestry agreements with landless community members who were interested in participating in forestry.

“The plan was to retain the area under forestry production in line with the commercial forestry master plan which promotes growth and investment of the sector.

It also ensures job creation in the forestry sector as it promotes the rural economy.

“Our department is not responsible for land restitution, local government and for safety and security. I’m raising all of this because this Knoflokskraal site is a complicated matter,” she said.

The Deputy Director-General of Forestry Management, Pumeza Nodada, said court processes were lengthy and may result in an order that would require the department to provide alternative land when an eviction order was finally granted.

“Notwithstanding the efforts and resources used, land invasions continue to spread to adjacent properties resulting in irreversible damage to the plantations.

“The department commenced engagements with DPWI on the matter to ensure that release of land is achieved within this financial year,” she said.

The Theewaterskloof Municipality did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Also presenting, Patekile said five cases were registered relating to trespassing and public violence.

One of the cases was withdrawn due to insufficient evidence and the other cases were awaiting an NPA decision whether it would prosecute.

“Challenges we were faced with include reluctance of potential witnesses to give statements and the identification of legal owners of the land,” said Patekile.

ANC MP Phillip Matsapole Pogiso Modise said it was contradictory that there were more than 4 000 people who occupied the land, however only five cases were being investigated.

DA MP Dave Bryant said: “This has an impact on economic opportunities in that area and the jobs that are now potentially not going to materialise for the locals due to the ongoing set of challenges on the land.

“To hear the land will potentially be handed back to DPWI and not used for forestry activities and all of the jobs now affected is a very sad thing, especially in our dire economic climate at present.”

However EFF MP Nazier Paulsen thought the residents were “revolutionary and implementing EFF land expropriation without compensation”.

Cape Times