Press Statement | LHR condemns Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s threats to demolish informal settlements at midnight

Date: 11/09/2025


Lawyers for Human Rights is alarmed by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s remarks threatening to demolish informal settlements at midnight.

Such threats fly in the face of the Supreme Court of Appeal’s 2024 judgement in City of Cape Town v South African Human Rights Commission, which held that once a structure exists, it may not be demolished without a court order. It is not for city or provincial officials to decide whether a home is “occupied” or not.

The Constitution and the Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act require due process, dignity and judicial oversight before any eviction or demolition. These protection exist to ensure that no person is stripped of shelter arbitrarily or without recourse to the courts. Midnight raids risk unlawful evictions, constitutional violations and a disturbing return to the injustices of forced removals that South Africa promised would never happen again.

LHR emphasises that the language used by public officials matters. Threats of demolitions not only disregard legal precedent but also sow fear and uncertainty among already vulnerable communities who live without adequate housing or secure tenure. Informal settlements are not the product of criminality but of systemic inequality and housing crisis that continues to leave millions behind.

LHR calls on the Premier to immediately clarify his remarks and to commit that any action against unlawful land occupation will be taken lawfully, transperantly and with court oversight. Failure to do so will not only undermine constitutional democracy but expose Gauteng government to urgent legal challenge.

Ends.

For inquiries, please contact:

Louise Du Plessis

Head – LHR Land, Housing and Property Programme

Louise@lhr.org.za

 

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