Property owners need protection from zealous overreach of Pie Act
The Prevention of Illegal Eviction From and Unlawful Occupation of Land (Pie) Act is one of the most harmful pieces of legislation promulgated in democratic times and requires a significant overhaul (“Pie amendment bill faces renewed backlash from activists”, May 14).
It has weaponised land grabs against lawful (and theoretically protected) property owners, making removal of violent squatting extremely difficult (a court order), and after six months practically impossible (alternative accommodation). The debate over whether that alternative is temporary or permanent simply reflects how far off base the discussion has drifted.
It’s incredible how the rights of property owners don’t really feature in the musings of academia, the publication of white papers or the coverage of these matters by the media. If ever there was a socially and economically harmful issue that has been more thoroughly hijacked by nonprofit and legal aid organisations, who appear locked in a pre-1994 forced removal Groundhog Day, it has yet to be identified.
Property owning, risk-taking, rate-paying citizens have been left vulnerable to the zealous overreach of Pie at the hand of anti-free market zealots who can’t seem to balance the illegal act of marching onto private property and setting up camp with the owner having reasonable and practical means to either stop it or end it.
The lawbreaker is protected and the legal owner left to exercise minimal rights under extremely onerous laws. Without balancing the rights of property owners more equitably in this debate, fiddling with the Pie Act wrecking ball is simply sophistry.
Martin Neethling
Via Business Day online
Policies put politics before job creation
Your editorial opinion refers (“We need to defuse the unemployment time bomb”, May 15). It all starts with private capital investment to drive economic growth and, by consequence, increase employment.
Our politics and legislation almost exclusively concentrate on racial discrimination and trying to force racial ownership changes unnaturally. This in no way increases economic activity per se, and certainly does not encourage foreign or non-black capital investment. All economic metrics one cares to look at will show the results of this racial fixation disguised as economic policy.
It’s no good having 1-million new entrants into the job market (however well trained or skilled they are), but no jobs available due to little incentive for business to invest. The employment crisis is a direct result of poor business policy and legislation.
For all the hand wringing, as in the article in question, the solutions to the job crises appear to be far from the minds of the majority of voters in our country. Politics before jobs is entrenched in South Africa for the foreseeable future, unfortunately.
Ultimately it is the failure of South African-style democracy to cater for the needs of all its citizens
Ian Ferguson
Via Business Day online
David Lewis is correct to condemn mistreatment of Palestinians
David Lewis’ excellent article refers (“Jewish identity and dissent in the shadow of war“, May 12).
I could never understand how a South African Jew would choose to support Israel, despite what it is doing to Palestinians and its neighbours, because they are from the same religion. The same applies to Christians supporting whoever in the mistaken belief that as a Christian you should do it.
As a South African you should surely support your own country first. Some Jews are quick to shout anti-Semitism, but what about their anti-Muslim behaviour, and the same for Christians who believe they should support Israel while in essence they are against Muslims?
The Jews and Muslims I know who reside in Cape Town are all kind-hearted and caring people. When I marched with mostly Muslims against the killing of children in Gaza I was filled with joy to see non-Muslims taking part and especially members of South African Jews For a Free Palestine.
If more people could imagine how it would be if their parents or children were killed by the Israeli Defense Forces, the world may act to stop it. I wish more countries in Europe would follow Spain in condemning Israel.
When America uses its veto in the UN to protect Israel, individual states should step up and send a clear message that the imperialistic land grab and ongoing mistreatment of Palestinians must stop. Like Lewis, I am proud of South Africa’s action against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The DA, which is apparently afraid to take a side, presumably because South African Zionists donate money to the party, needs to be extremely careful. For a lot of people in South Africa, the Palestinian issue is extremely close to their hearts.
Ockert Fourie
Via email
Lewis’ article full of opinion dressed up as fact
David Lewis’ article was typical of “not in my name” Jews, who comprise only a small percentage of the South African Jewish population (“Jewish identity and dissent in the shadow of war“, May 12).
The fig leaf is that because Lewis is Jewish, he is free to pronounce whatever he wants about Israel, fair or not. His article is replete with half truths and opinion dressed up as fact, and shows absolutely no objectivity. Some examples:
- Lewis describes former prime minister Menachem Begin as an “ultra right-wing Israeli politician”. Surely, to be objective he should have noted Begin was the first Israeli leader to sign a peace treaty with one of Israel’s Arab neighbours and the first to formally hand back land taken in war?
- He repeats the old refrain about Israel having strong business ties with apartheid South Africa, but the context he and his ilk always ignore is that most Western countries, including the US and almost all of Western Europe, did too. While he is looking at apartheid ties, he might have thought it fair to mention apartheid South Africa also received almost all its oil from Arab states in the Middle East.
- He talks about the “expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians at the time of the declaration of the state of Israel”, but no-one will ever know how many were expelled and how many left of their own free will after being encouraged to do so by the Arab armies then attacking the nascent Israeli state.
- Lewis also throws in the canard about Israel committing genocide, without being objective enough to note this is hotly denied by Israel and the US, and that the International Court of Justice is yet to pronounce on this issue. At this stage it is his opinion, and no more.
- Finally, he rubbishes claims that Israel’s army is fighting for the safety of Jews (not to mention non-Jewish Israelis, who have also been killed by Iranian and Hezbollah missiles). Does he honestly deny Hamas and Hezbollah intend to wipe out as much of the Israeli population as they can, and have shown this in word and deed from October 7 2023 onwards?
In addition to singing lustily at the Passover table, Lewis might want to also be more dispassionate and equitable when he writes about Israel.
Gideon Malinsky
Killarney
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