Illegal sales, extortion and R63m costs: Macpherson details Knoflokskraal land occupation

· Citizen

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has announced plans to approach the courts over the occupation of state-owned land at Knoflokskraal, as government seeks to curb further development at the settlement and address allegations of illegal land sales.

The application, scheduled to be filed at the Western Cape High Court on 19 October 2026, follows six months of investigations and unsuccessful efforts by the government to reach an agreement with those occupying the land.

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Knoflokskraal is located off the N2 highway between Grabouw and Botrivier, within the Theewaterskloof Municipality in the Western Cape.

The disputed property consists of six state-owned farms covering approximately 2 000 hectares.

The land had been earmarked for forestry by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment before members of the KhoiSan tribe occupied it during the Covid-19 lockdown in late 2020.

While the government regards the occupation as unlawful, members of the community have claimed ancestral rights to the land.

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) estimates that more than 4 000 structures have since been erected on the land.

Macpherson on Knoflokskraal land occupation

Addressing the media on Monday, 12 October 2026, Macpherson contended that the DPWI had reached a point where legal intervention was necessary to address the ongoing situation.

He described conditions at the settlement as “unsustainable” and emphasised that the time had come for “decisive action to install the rule of law”.

“We are approaching the court with a comprehensive documentary record of what has happened at Knoflokskraal, what government has attempted to do, where it has not been successful, what has subsequently been uncovered by investigations, and what we believe is required to restore the rule of law,” Macpherson told reporters.

The proposed proceedings will be divided into two stages.

Part A will ask the court to authorise alternative methods of notifying affected residents and ensure that they have a reasonable opportunity to participate in the legal process.

Part B will deal with the substantive relief sought by the government, including measures to restrict further occupation and prevent unlawful activities on the property.

Macpherson stressed that the immediate objective was not to remove residents, but to prevent the situation from escalating.

“I want to be absolutely clear: containment is not eviction. It is about freezing the situation to prevent it from deteriorating further,” Macpherson said.

Watch the media briefing below:

As part of the proposed court action, the department wants a comprehensive list of the people living at Knoflokskraal.

The process is intended to establish the number of residents, household composition, when individuals arrived at the settlement, their socio-economic circumstances and any vulnerabilities they may face.

It will also seek to document any cultural or heritage claims advanced by residents.

According to Macpherson, an independent social facilitator will oversee the process.

‘Secondary holiday homes’

The department is also seeking an order prohibiting conduct it considers unlawful, including violence, intimidation and harassment directed at government officials and contractors.

The proposed measures would further target illegal land transactions and the operation of parallel policing structures.

A fourth component of the application will seek police assistance to enforce the court’s directives.

Macpherson alleged that some individuals lived in Cape Town while maintaining secondary properties at Knoflokskraal

“These are secondary holiday homes and we have previously detailed how some of them are being used as Airbnbs and some of them are restaurants.”

The latest application follows previous legal interventions aimed at limiting the expansion of the settlement.

Macpherson indicated that the department obtained containment orders in 2021 covering three properties at Knoflokskraal.

Those court orders remain in force.

Although sheriff enforcement operations led to the removal of structures, the occupation continued to grow.

Whistleblowers raise concerns over alleged land sales

The DPWI’s latest action also follows information received from whistleblowers in June 2026 concerning an alleged system for subdividing and selling portions of the state-owned property.

Macpherson said the department had evidence indicating that pieces of land were allegedly being sold for R1 500 by community leaders.

Investigators also received a database containing information on around 820 people who had allegedly purchased land or received allocations through the purported system.

The department has further received allegations that residents were being charged levies to finance activities or pay for protection linked to the alleged unlawful allocation and subdivision of land.

“In plain language, this is called extortion, which is also criminal and illegal,” Macpherson remarked.

The department has since approached the South African Police Service (Saps).

Knoflokskraal response costs government more than R63 million

The minister also highlighted the public expenditure associated with security and the enforcement of previous court orders at the settlement.

Between April 2021 and June 2026, the department incurred more than R58 million in costs related to Knoflokskraal.

An additional R5.47 million was spent on sheriff’s fees for serving and enforcing court orders.

“These are enormous amounts of public money.

“They demonstrate the consequences of allowing a situation to continue without a sustainable resolution, as well as the costs associated with ignoring the rule of law.

“This cannot become the permanent model of governance at Knoflokskraal,” Macpherson added.

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