South African Farmers Beset by Land Invasions; Some Say It’s ‘Land Justice’

The government isn’t seizing farms, but radical fringe groups are encouraging invasions of land that they say was stolen by white settlers.

South African squatters sit by their belongings, after demolition workers demolished their shacks following a Pretoria high court decision to evict them from government and privately owned land, near Johannesburg, on July 13, 2001. Yoav Lemmer/AFP via Getty Images

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South African Farmers Beset by Land Invasions; Some Say It’s ‘Land Justice’

The government isn’t seizing farms, but radical fringe groups are encouraging invasions of land that they say was stolen by white settlers.

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By Darren Taylor

March 02, 2025Updated:March 08, 2025

JOHANNESBURG—On a swath of land on the north coast of South Africa’s lush KwaZulu-Natal Province, endless rows of sugarcane fill the emerald rolling hills, against the backdrop of the azure Indian Ocean.

It looks peaceful, but a battle has raged here for almost 15 years.

South African Farmers Beset by Land Invasions; Some Say It’s ‘Land Justice’

South African Farmers Beset by Land Invasions; Some Say It’s ‘Land Justice’

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