Paul Kirk KwaZulu-Natal has been hit by a wave of farm invasions in which thousands of squatters have stormed farms, stripping millions from the value of the province’s agricultural output. The invasions have destroyed at least 4E000 agricultural jobs in the Mangete area near Stanger on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, where most of the 63 farms in the area have been invaded. Across the province, farmland lies idle or is being used for squatter accommodation, with at least 200 farms affected. Up to 5E000 squatters have invaded farmland on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast and throughout the province more than 30E000 squatters could be resident on agricultural land. The invaders – mostly subsistence farmers – have all but halted commercial agriculture in the area by taking over prime commercial land. Farmers have left the land in droves. The KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union was unable to confirm how much revenue is being lost, but farmers put the figures at “millions”. Farm attacks in KwaZulu-Natal also appear to be on the increase. Farmers in the Empangeni area – all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity – claimed the invasions and attacks were largely the fault of the provincial and national departments of agriculture and land affairs. Land reform has been conducted at a slow pace, with less than 5% of land claims settled countrywide since 1994. KwaZulu-Natal farmers claim the invaders are mostly people who are fed up with empty promises of land. Another group of invaders are those who occupy land illegally without knowing they are breaking the law.
Meanwhile, farmers claim members of the aMakhosi have been illegally selling land to squatters. Farmers claim that recently deceased iNkosi Mvongwane Chilli was the worst culprit by far and made a fortune large enough to buy several BMWs by selling land that was not even his to sell. Chilli stopped his illegal land deals only after the local farmers’ association took out a high court interdict to stop him. While KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture Narend Singh denies the farm invasions are in any way similar to those in Zimbabwe, local farmers dispute this. Pat Dunn, the chair of the Mangete Land Owners and Community Development Services, claimed the invasions could be compared to those experienced in Zimbabwe as all the elements of intimidation and violence were present.