Law protects against eviction

Johannesburg - Ground-breaking land tenure protection to shield black farmworkers from wilful eviction by landowners became law…

Johannesburg - Ground-breaking land tenure protection to shield black farmworkers from wilful eviction by landowners became law in South Africa yesterday as the post-apartheid government sought to redress past injustices.

Farmworkers, mostly black, seen as one of the most disadvantaged sectors in the country, previously had no recourse to the law in cases of eviction, even if their families had worked the same farmland for decades.

The Land Affairs Minister, Mr Derek Hanekom, published the legislation in the government gazette, officially giving labourers the right to apply for compensation for eviction and laying down steps for farm owners to follow if they wish to evict an employee.