LAND RIGHTS
Land ownership( and occupation) in SA
In 2017 land issues remain as contentious in South Africa as they ever have, with Pres Zuma urging South Africans in his sonorous State of the Nation Address to“ stay on the land”. Meanwhile, activists argue that the pace of land reform is slow and biased, while legal experts are scratching their heads about how some proposed reforms would be implemented. In 2014, the Dept of Rural
You can! t, as a landowner, kick difficult or non-paying tenants or fired workers off your land willy-nilly. Know your rights
Development & Land Reform announced plans to redistribute 50 % of commercial farmland to farmworkers as a way of redressing past injustices. The announcement ~ seen by some as a political game to fend off the Economic Freedom Fighters and its call for expropriation
22 www. sasmallholder. co. za
of land without compensation ~ proved to be illogical and impracticable. Meanwhile, the government is said to be pumping millions of rand into failing farms for the transfer of business shares to a relatively small number of farmworkers and farm dwellers, with the biggest
benefit seeming to remain with the white landowners. In the meantime smallholders, be they landowners or tenants should be sure of their rights. Many smallholders have tenants living on their property and it is wise to be aware of the status of each of the parties in such a situation. ❑ A lawful occupier is a person who resides on land with the permission of the owner of the land. This consent does not have to be expressed( in writing or orally) but may also be given tacitly. ❑ If you give your worker accommodation he / she is a lawful occupier. ❑ If you rent out rooms or cottages, the tenants are lawful occupiers as long as they pay rent. ❑ If you as the owner are aware that someone has moved on to your land and you make no effort to evict them, you have given tacit consent through your
Continued on page 23
KICKBACK
From page 21
Of course, one can mitigate against the effect of kickback in a number of ways. Firstly, never allow the nose of the cutting bar to do the cutting, rather ensure that only the top or bottom edges of the cutting bar engage the wood. Secondly never work with the saw higher than waist height. That way a severe kickback will only result in a severe arm injury, severe leg injury or contact with your torso. In the case of the latter two contacts at any rate damage should be prevented if you are wearing approved safety clothing. Thirdly, never use a chainsaw with only one hand. Always ~ consciously ~ have a firm grip on the saw with both hands.