Housing activists march to Parliament against proposed land bill
Housing crisis won’t be resolved through harsher eviction laws, says activist
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Housing activists march to Parliament in Cape Town on Monday to demand that the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Amendment Bill be scrapped. Photos: Matthew Hirsch
About 100 housing activists marched to Parliament on Monday calling for the PIE Amendment Bill to be rejected.
The draft amendment to the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land (PIE) Amendment Bill was published for public comment in April. The deadline for public submissions is Tuesday.
The protest follows similar marches in Durban and Johannesburg on Friday. Last month, residents and housing activists from across Cape Town voiced their opposition to the bill in Langa.
The PIE Act was passed in 1998 to repeal apartheid era laws. Activists are concerned that the amendment bill rolls back hard-won constitutional protections. Under the amendment bill, anyone who occupies land or encourages the occupation of land without the owner’s permission could be liable to pay a fine of R2-million or be sentenced to two years in prison. The bill will allow courts to grant eviction orders without the state providing alternative accommodation.
Under the amendment bill, anyone who occupies land or encourages the occupation of land without the owner’s permission could be liable to pay a fine of R2-million or be sentenced to two years in prison. The bill will allow courts to grant eviction orders without the state providing alternative accommodation.Researchers at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) argued that the bill is unconstitutional, as the Constitutional Court has previously ruled the state must provide alternative accommodation to anyone who would otherwise be left homeless, regardless of whether their occupation was lawful.
Karen Hendricks, a leader at Reclaim the City, addresses the protest.
On Monday, protesters outside Parliament listened to speakers from several civic movements.
Karen Hendricks, a leader at Reclaim the City, said the amendment bill was against everything they had fought for. “We want to say to those people inside Parliament, are you going to criminalise the poor? You need to build houses, you need to provide services. You are not going to get away with this,” she said.
Indira Mtandeki, from Covid-19 informal settlement in Driftsands, said, “South Africa’s housing crisis cannot be resolved through harsher eviction mechanisms. The solution lies in accelerated land reform, inclusive urban planning, meaningful public participation, and investment in sustainable human settlements.”
Charles Ford, a representative from the presidency, accepted a memorandum. He encouraged the protesters to write directly to the presidency, as their submissions were directed to the Department of Human Settlements.
In a media statement in April, human settlements minister Thembi Simelane said the proposed amendment seeks to empower municipalities, state entities, and private property owners to “respond more decisively to illegal occupations and evictions. It will strengthen our ability to address individuals and organised groups who are responsible for orchestrating these invasions”.
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