AfriForum Demands Rejection of Centurion Land Claim

AfriForum says it has 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.

The self-proclaimed civil rights organisation says it wants to prevent claimants from receiving any monetary compensation for this “baseless claim”.

The claim – opposed by both AfriForum and ReThRo – was published in the Government Gazette in June 2018. It 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 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 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.