In 2009, the Anti-Land Invasion Unit was created by the
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town (; ) is a Metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality that forms the metropolitan municipality (South Africa), local government of Cape Town and surrounding areas. As of 2022 it has a population of ...
in an effort to stop people from
illegally attempting to occupy land.
[City’s anti-land invasion unit to stop land grabs](_blank)
, City of Cape Town Press Statement, 2009 In 2011 the City stated that the unit demolished about 300
shacks each month. The Anti-Land Invasions Unit is the biggest unit in the City's
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
operation.
Unlawful actions by the Unit
When the unit was founded its director, stated that:
However, according to Sheldon Magardie of Lawyers for Human Rights the unit "is acting unlawfully". According to Magardie:
In May 2013 an article in ''The Daily Maverick'' claimed that the unit had acting illegally by evicting people from the
Marikana Land Occupation without a court order and that City officials were justifying this in terms of a non-exist law and by lying about shacks that the unit had demolished being unoccupied. Constitutional law expert
Pierre de Vos
Pierre Francois de Vos (born 29 June 1963) is a South African constitutional law academic. He holds the Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Constitutional Governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Before taking up that position in July 2009, ...
later wrote that these evictions were "Brutal, inhumane, and totally unlawful"
Public criticism
Allegations of both violence and theft have been made against the unit by grassroots activists and in the media. It May 2013 it was reported that the unit demolished a pre-school in
Langa under questionable circumstances. The People's Assembly has called for the unit to be disbanded.
People's Assembly Land, Race and Nation Conference declaration
, ''Amandla Magazine'', June 2013
See also
* Homelessness in South Africa
Homelessness in South Africa dates back to the apartheid period. Increasing unemployment, lack of affordable housing, social disintegration, and social and economic policies have all been identified as contributing factors to the issue.
Some scho ...
* Department of Human Settlements
The Department of Human Settlements (formerly the Department of Housing, and often referred to as DHS) is the government department, department under the Ministry of Human Settlements of the Government of South Africa, South African government, re ...
* Informal housing
Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...
* Public housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
* Economy of South Africa
The economy of South Africa is the largest economy in Africa. It is a mixed economy, emerging market, and upper-middle-income economy, and one of only eight such countries in Africa. The economy is the most industrialised, technologically advanc ...
Notes and references
{{Political history of South Africa
Cape Town
Housing in South Africa
Law enforcement in South Africa