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Displaying the 15 latest comments.
Submitted | first-name | support | concern | top-concern | message |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026-07-11 04:10:08 +02:00 | Anthea | No I do not | Loss of Long-Term Occupier Protection | ||
2026-07-11 04:00:47 +02:00 | Farhana | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | Owners of property must have rights and control of ownership. No illegal occupation should be allowed no matter what the circumstance. Government, should go back to its routes of providing RDP houses and payment of these homes purchased via rates statement and not banks. This will assist with home ownership for the masses and reduce homelessness, reduce squatter camps and reduce individuals being exploited with squatter camp rental abuse. Also, South Africa is now a place of lawlessness. Free for all is Not acceptable. This attitude has made South Afticans lazy and expecting hand outs, lack of responsibility and corruption. This has resulted in our economy being in financial loss and financial distress. | |
2026-07-11 03:51:36 +02:00 | Sylvia | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | ||
2026-07-11 03:03:02 +02:00 | Andre | Yes I do | No concern, I Support the Bill | ||
2026-07-11 02:17:50 +02:00 | Renee | Yes I do | No concern, I Support the Bill | ||
2026-07-11 02:17:19 +02:00 | Vuyisa | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | My concern is the citizens who are taking land unlawfully. Sometimes the land is for a private company and they occupied unlawfully. Even though at times the same land was gonna create jobs. Now it benefits individuals. | |
2026-07-11 01:45:55 +02:00 | Derek | Yes I do | No concern, I Support the Bill | ||
2026-07-11 01:42:23 +02:00 | Debbie | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | ||
2026-07-11 00:35:46 +02:00 | Johan | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | Lawlessness is on the order of the day . How can you occupy unpaid for land or property that someone else paid for ? Goverment must provide for the landless | |
2026-07-11 00:35:37 +02:00 | Gerhard | Yes I do | Other | ||
2026-07-11 00:32:18 +02:00 | Joao | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | ||
2026-07-11 00:30:49 +02:00 | Roy | Yes I do | Property Rights & Investment Protection | Halt the very bad practice of invading land and property. Consequence management must follow! | |
2026-07-10 23:59:18 +02:00 | Helen | Yes I do | No concern, I Support the Bill | ||
2026-07-10 23:55:46 +02:00 | Willa | Not fully | Broad Criminal Definitions | ||
2026-07-10 23:51:49 +02:00 | Hermann | Not fully | All of the above | Administrative Clogging | The realisation that things have gone too far is commendable, but the situation is also tragic. Proposing a sledge hammer bill to solve the problem cannot be considered in isolation. The government of national unity should devise 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 year implementable plans integrated with all departments involved in the well-being of South Africans (i.e. Depts of Health, Education, Transport, Trade, Industry.., Agriculture, Cooperative Governance..., Environment, Finance, Human Settlements, Justice, Labour, Water and Sanitation, Mineral Resources and Energy etc.) and the private sector, to address the predicament of the poor and destitute. SASSA for instance only provides partial relief of poverty. This holistic approach to the many woes of our country should render the most equitable solutions with a budget that is limited. The question should be what and how cna 5,10, etc plans be devised and implemented successfully. The focus should be on economic development by exporting products. Very hard and cooperative work will be required for an extended period. |
Private Owners Cannot Carry the State’s Housing Burden:
Supporters argue that under the current 1998 PIE Act, private landowners and developers are practically forced to accommodate unlawful occupiers for years. This happens because heavily burdened municipalities lack alternative shelter, draining the financial resources of law-abiding owners.
Dismantling Organized Crime and Syndicates:
Proponents point out that land invasions and high-rise building hijackings are rarely organic acts of desperation; they are increasingly run by highly organized criminal syndicates (“shack lords”) who unlawfully extract rent from the poor. Extreme penalties—like the R2 million fine, asset forfeiture, and prison sentences—are necessary to break these syndicates.
Relieving Municipal Financial Stress:
Forcing local governments to provide emergency shelter indefinitely is financially breaking South African cities. Giving courts the power to issue eviction orders without mandatory alternative housing, and placing strict expiration dates on emergency shelters, will safeguard municipal budgets for basic service delivery.
Managing Equally Regardless of Time:
Scrapping the 6-month rule closes a loophole where occupiers intentionally try to delay legal actions just long enough to secure enhanced legal protections, allowing landowners to act efficiently to recover their property.
A Direct Violation of the Constitution:
Opponents argue that Section 4(14) of the Bill—which allows evictions to occur without requiring alternative housing—directly violates Section 26(3) of the South African Constitution, which explicitly protects citizens against evictions that result in immediate homelessness.
Spur a Massive Humanitarian and Homelessness Crisis:
Human rights organizations warn that removing the obligation to provide alternative shelter and putting “timers” on emergency accommodation will not solve the housing shortage. Instead, it will simply displace thousands of vulnerable families, leading to a catastrophic spike in street homelessness.
Criminalizing Human Rights and Poverty Support:
Critics flag that the text defining “incitement” and “organizing” is dangerously broad. There is serious concern that an NGO worker, community leader, or human rights lawyer offering basic legal advice or emergency relief to an informal settlement could be accused of “permitting” or “arranging” an invasion, exposing them to ruinous fines.
Stripping Protections From Established Communities:
Deleting the distinction between short-term and long-term occupiers strips historic protections from long-standing informal settlements. Established, multigenerational communities could find themselves procedurally fast-tracked for eviction in the exact same manner as a fresh land invasion.