Armed Land Invaders Sell Stolen Plots in Mbombela While Police Retreat

Land Grabs Rise as State Fails to Enforce Its Own Laws

The unfolding land grab in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, is not just a local crime — it is a case study in state complicity, law enforcement paralysis, and environmental destruction. Armed groups are selling stolen land for as little as R100, with full knowledge of SAPS, politicians, and municipal officials. Months of “operations” have produced zero arrests.

In West Acres, just a stone’s throw from Mbombela Stadium, privately owned land under a permanent court order since August 2021 has been seized by armed invaders.

By June 2025, the operation was in full swing: chainsaws roaring, trees falling, and a TLB carving illegal roads. These criminals did not hide — they advertised plots openly, some fetching R6,000 on Facebook.

The Police Retreat Playbook

• 30 June: SAPS and the Sheriff retreat under “aggression.”

• 3 July: Armed threats, retreat again.

• 9 July: Gunshots near homes — no follow-up.

• 18 July: Petrol bomb threats — SAPS walks away.

• August: Public Order Police unavailable or withdraw after brief “resistance”.

Not a single weapon search. No immigration enforcement. No arrests — despite open contempt of court, malicious property damage, and illegal sales.

SAPS officials claim they cannot act without a “perimeter fence” and fear civil claims—this is one of the country’s top ten stations for such lawsuits. The excuse is beyond absurd; it is evidence of institutional cowardice.

The Bigger Picture

Residents report the majority of invaders are foreign nationals. Protected DMoss-zone land is being stripped bare, wildlife is being driven out, and the stage is set for massive land erosion and flooding during heavy rains. This is not just theft — it is an ecological crime with long-term climate impacts.

Political intervention has been toothless. DA MPL Teboho Sekaledi’s parliamentary demands for urgent action have been ignored. Municipal demolition plans collapse at the first sign of pushback.

This is how the state enables land grabs — not through policy, but through deliberate inaction. When criminals know the police will turn away, the law is dead.

If this is not stopped, it will happen elsewhere — and it will happen fast. The PIE Act, political cowardice, and weak policing have made land grabs in South Africa a low-risk, high-reward crime. The question is no longer “if” but “when”.