29/12/2025
Land grabs are wrong.
Breaking the law is wrong.
But using the law to destroy poor people’s lives is also wrong.
This is how land invasions usually happen.
People first build one small shack to see what will happen. If the authorities do nothing for three months, people believe the land is safe. They then invest everything they have — savings, stokvel money, and loans. They build proper brick houses. For many families, this is their whole life.
In Gqeberha and Makhanda, the government acts quickly. Shacks are demolished immediately. It is painful, but it is clear. People do not lose years of their lives building on land they will later lose.
But in East London, it is different — and far more painful.
Here, the government stays silent.
People are allowed to build.
Allowed to settle.
Allowed to furnish their homes.
Allowed to raise children.
Then, four or five years later, when families are fully settled, the authorities arrive without warning. Homes are demolished. People are left homeless, shocked, and broken. Everything they worked for is gone in one day.
This is not how the law should work.
The Constitution of South Africa is clear.
Section 26(3) says:
No one may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without a court order.
It also says the government must consider all circumstances, especially children, the elderly, and vulnerable people.
Yet in eBhombini and Airport Park, homes were demolished:
During COVID-19 lockdown
During school exams
Without proper court orders
Without alternative accommodation
This goes against human dignity (Section 10) and the best interests of the child (Section 28).
The Bible also speaks clearly:
“Woe to those who make unjust laws.” — Isaiah 10:1
“Do not crush the poor in court.” — Proverbs 22:22
“Defend the weak and the poor.” — Psalm 82:3
God does not support injustice, even when it comes from authority.
This message is not supporting land grabs.
It is calling for fairness and legality.
If land is occupied illegally, the government must act early, lawfully, and humanely:
Go to court
Speak to communities
Protect children
Provide alternatives where required
Letting people build for years and then destroying their homes is cruel and unconstitutional.
The law must protect people, not trap them.
Government must care, not surprise.
Justice must be clear, early, and humane.