Photos taken six months apart show how land grabs have engulfed parts of Stefan Smit’s farm, as Stellenbosch enters another land dispute.
Aerial pictures of Stefan Smit’s private vineyards – and the squatter camp that has encroached on his land – have revealed how the land grabs in Stellenbosch are unfolding. The 62-year-old spoke to the New York Times about the situation, as the Cape Winelands becomes a reluctant battleground over land-ownership.
Last year, we saw another very high-profile case unfold in the heart of the province’s wine-making country. The owners of Louiesenhof Wines were granted an interdict by the Western Cape High Court to remove unoccupied structures and to prevent any additional people from setting up on a piece of vacant land owned by the estate.
The occupation on Watergang started in August. The court order prevented the landowners from dismantling any occupied shacks, however. Around 100 structures went up
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