Knoflokskraal land occupation dispute

The South African Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is pursuing legal action through the Western Cape High Court to address the ongoing occupation of state-owned land at Knoflokskraal in the Elgin Valley.

Since the occupation began approximately six years ago, the 2,000-hectare site has seen the construction of over 4,000 structures. While the Khoisan community occupying the land maintains the settlement is an act of “ancestral reclamation,” Minister Dean Macpherson has stated that the occupation is not driven by vulnerable people seeking homes, but rather by individuals establishing holiday homes. The site has also developed various commercial activities, including farming, restaurants, and tuckshops.

The government’s legal application seeks a containment order to halt further expansion, new construction, and the movement of building materials onto the site. Additionally, the department has reported evidence of criminal activity, alleging that syndicates are engaged in the “illegal commercial subdivision and sale of state land,” with some plots reportedly being sold fraudulently for approximately R1,500.