2 April 2014 – Thousands of people hearing rumours of a illegal land invasion started claiming stands and occupying some 800 ha of land on the northern side of the Matlala road, starting on Friday.
Since Friday, Review has received numerous calls from business owners saying their employees had not reported for duty as they were told “Julius (Malema) said they could come and get land”.
The land, at Extension 71, 72 and 76, which is being occupied at an alarming rate, belongs to the Polokwane Municipality and private landowners. It cover the area from the RDP houses perimeter, into the yet undeveloped Extension 78, and further onto private farmland up to Blood River.
According to some of the land grabbers whom Review spoke to, they plan to occupy all the land up to the Seshego crossing, approximately 8 kilometres further.
By Sunday, with rumours spreading fast, more than 600 motor vehicles were parked along the road, as people from near and far came to claim and illegally occupy plots.
Since then, hundreds of cars have been seen parked along the road every day, bringing more people who have heard about free land being up for grabs. Vehicle registration numbers reflect those present as being from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Limpopo.
Many of these land grabbers are jobless or say they are “tired of paying rent”, and want their own land. Some claim they have registered for RDP houses and have been waiting for 10 years, only to be told they were not on the waiting list.
