AfriForum demands that the Centurion land claim be rejected without compensation

5 March 2019

AfriForum appointed five experts and a senior advocate to compile reports in order to send a submission that disputes the recent Centurion land claim to the Land Claims Commission. Among other, the civil rights organisation wants to prevent claimants from receiving any monetary compensation for this baseless claim. 

AfriForum and ReThRo oppose this land claim. It was published in the Government Gazette in June 2018, involves about 4 000 hectares of land and affects almost 2 000 families. 

“AfriForum wants to send a clear message to government that land claims should be investigated thoroughly before it being published in the Government Gazette and causing unnecessary panic. It is also very unfair that the taxpayer must foot the bill for the consideration of false claims. AfriForum’s specialist team will among other make an in-depth study of the history of the land to confirm that the land claim will not succeed and that any compensation to the claimants would be unjustified,” says Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety.

“If the commission refuses to reject the claim, the organisations will turn to the courts. AfriForum will also continue to protect the affected community as well as the taxpayer’s interests. Taxpayers cannot bear the brunt because the state does not immediately reject land claims like this one,” says Marnus Kamfer, Legal and Risk Manager at AfriForum’s community safety division. 

Issued by Hesti Steenkamp, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 5 March 2019