Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has announced that the government will pursue legal action to restore the rule of law at Knoflokskraal in the Western Cape, where an unlawful occupation of state land that began as a small group during the Covid-19 pandemic has expanded into a settlement of approximately 4,000 structures housing between 15,000 and 20,000 people.
The occupation started in 2020 on land originally earmarked for forestry purposes, which was intended to generate much-needed jobs and economic growth in the area. Minister Macpherson noted that parts of the land have since become unsalvageable for any economic activity due to the uncontrolled expansion.
Speaking in a radio interview, Minister Macpherson emphasised the need to return to basics by first enforcing a 2021 Western Cape High Court order that prohibits any further expansion of the settlement. The department plans to map the area and implement a containment strategy to monitor and prevent additional growth.
“We’ve got to go back to the beginning. We firstly got to enforce the court order that was granted in 2021 by the Western Cape High Court which said that no more expansion can be done,” Minister Macpherson said.
The minister highlighted the complexity of the situation, pointing to evidence of criminality, including the selling of plots for as little as R1,500 with payments deposited into private individuals’ bank accounts. Some structures are reported to be double-storey brick-and-mortar houses, raising questions about whether all occupants are genuinely landless or destitute. At one point, 600 cars blocked the N2 highway when law enforcement attempted to access the property.
Minister Macpherson stressed that no individual has the right to occupy and sell state land for personal benefit in a constitutional democracy. He added that despite six years having passed, not a single formal land claim has been lodged on the property.
The government is not currently planning mass evictions. Instead, the immediate focus is on containment and a court-ordered social facilitation process to identify who is living there, why they are there, and under what circumstances. This would allow authorities to address any genuine housing needs while distinguishing them from cases involving criminal activity.
“There is real criminality that is going on there. We have information that drugs are being staged through there into Cape Town. Weapons are being staged there into Cape Town. Abalone poaching is being staged there into the coast. There have been shooting incidents. When there are fires there, local emergency services are confronted at gunpoint and told to leave,” Minister Macpherson said.
He noted that the Theewaterskloof Municipality, a small local authority, is already providing R11 million in unbudgeted free basic services to the community each year. Officials attempting to maintain services have reportedly faced intimidation, harassment, and threats.
The N2 highway has been repeatedly blocked, affecting local farming operations in one of the country’s largest citrus-growing areas that relies heavily on exports.
Minister Macpherson described the situation as a broader rule-of-law issue rather than an isolated land crisis. He referenced recent amendments to the Prevention of Illegal Eviction (PIE) Act, aimed at making it more difficult to invade land, establish structures, and sell plots for profit while placing unrealistic burdens on government.
He affirmed that the government’s consistent policy—whether at the Union Buildings, near East London airport, or outside the Castle—is to reclaim state land through lawful processes. Any legitimate land claims would be entertained, but invasions followed by illegal sales cannot be tolerated.
The Theewaterskloof Municipality and other spheres of government are said to be working together on the matter. Local authorities face added pressure as land invasions increase housing backlogs and incentivise queue-jumping, creating significant financial and operational challenges.
Minister Macpherson made the remarks during an interview in which he also briefly discussed his party’s upcoming conference but focused primarily on the Knoflokskraal situation and the commitment to upholding the rule of law while addressing genuine needs through structured processes.