18 April 2025
PRESS RELEASE NO EMBARGO
AL JAMA-AH celebrates 18 years of political activity and intensifies its fight against farm evictions
Al Jama-ah Party this month celebrates its 18th anniversary by intensifying its fight to defend farm dwellers from being evicted from their ancestral abode stretching as far back as 200 years.
The right to resist illegal evictions, is in support of a call made by South African Human Rights Commission Chairperson, Rev Chris Nissen, for a moratorium on all farm evictions in South Africa. In December 2024 at a Community Dialogue with farm dwellers in Paarl which was hosted by the Deputy Minister of Social Development Hon Ganief Hendricks who is Al Jama-ah’s leader, Nissen repeated the call for a moratorium on farm evictions.
“Nissen said that the emerging lifestyle farming has led to the eviction of 1 500 farm dwellers and about 500 court applications for evictions are pending throughout the Cape Winelands,” says Hendricks. He raised the looming evictions in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa who instructed him to liaise with the Ministers of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa and to present him with legal prescripts to stop farm evictions.
Hendricks then invited Minister Nyhontso to visit the farm dwellers on Nantes farm who can only access their homes through a long, narrow uneven lane; no vehicles can access the property to the dwellings. Nyhontso visited the farm in January 2025 and declared a moratorium on all farm evictions with immediate effect.
“Sadly, this moratorium is being ignored by the courts and farmers. Al Jam-ah has promised the farm dwellers that we will return to them once progress has been made on access to their property. The party, at its own cost, will instruct the Sheriff to proceed with the court order to remove the fence to allow proper access to the dwellings.This is an interim relief for the farm dwellers as it is inhumane for them to live under such circumstances,” says Hendricks.
Hendricks has given an update to President Ramaphosa on the Nantes matter that the following progress has been made:
- identified the legal prescripts which include amending the current legislation on the Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Amendment Bill
- has invited Minister Nyhontso to visit farm dwellers at Nantes in Paarl who live under ‘fenced-in’ conditions
- progress has been made for interim relief for farm dwellers for the fence to be opened so they can have proper access to their homes.
Once the fence have been removed, the department will, as promised at the Community Dialogue held in December 2024, return to the community to celebrate the opening of the fence at Nantes farm.
Issued by Asghar Khan on behalf of Al Jama-ah
For media enquiries contact:
Nisa Hendricks (Media and Marketing Manager)
Cell: 082 613 1917