The South African government only has itself to blame for “invasions” of military facilities and land, maintains Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Groenewald.
The former Commando officer was speaking in the National Assembly during a recent debate on revising regulations protecting military areas against trespassing.
Examples of land invasions known to defenceWeb are the Special Forces School at Murrayhill, north of Pretoria, and 6 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion outside Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.
Groenewald said in a statement issued after the parliamentary debate “the occupancy of military land not only creates problems for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) it also poses serious risks for the illegal occupants”.
The risk was graphically illustrated four years ago when a trespasser from a squatter camp on 6 SAI’s boundary picked up an unexploded mortar to apparently sell as scrap. The projectile exploded, killing three.
Taking this as his cue, the FF+ leader said there are “vast areas” of South Africa where the military practices and trains with live ammunition. Not all of it detonates and, despite warning signs of unexploded ordnance, people mostly searching for scrap metal wander freely about.
“The major question is: How to end it? It has to be answered by President Cyril Ramaphosa, also SANDF Commander-in-Chief,” Groenewald said, adding the South African first citizen is on record as saying no-one has the right to unlawfully access and occupy land – it is against the law.
“He (Ramaphosa) called on law enforcement agencies to restore law and order adding offenders would face the ‘full force of the law’. Unlawful land occupations across the country continue and properties of both the military and private owners are increasingly under threat.
“The issue can only be resolved with enough political will to take the necessary action, but that will is absent. The blame rests squarely on the President’s shoulders. As Commander in Chief and President, he is allowing the unlawful occupation of military and private land to continue with impunity,” Groenewald said, adding it was high time those illegally occupying land faced the full force of the law as he first promised four years ago.
In April, while on an oversight visit the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) heard of “encroaching” housing adjacent to the Special Forces School at Murrayhill. Committee members were told of structures “going up close to fences” and “increasing theft of electricity cables and destruction of water pipes”.
