Picture: Twitter, @Mngxitama
In a series of tweets on Sunday morning, Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama explained that he was leading an expropriation without compensation drive on Sunday.
In one tweet, he said police were shooting at his followers during their attempt to “expropriate” land in Alexandra, a township on the outskirts of Sandton, Africa’s most prosperous economic zone.
He consistently misspelled the name of the township.
When The Citizen went to the township to investigate, we discovered that the people there did not identify as BLF, and were merely demanding land and housing and a chance to put their case to the human settlements department.
Have a look at a gallery of the occupation attempt here.
It’s unclear how the BLF believes it will be successful in its expropriation drive, as South African law does not allow private organisations to expropriate property. If they attempt such a thing, it would be considered simple theft.
Mngxitama wrote: “Police shooting our people in Alexander land expropriation. This is just a warm up. The land is ours. #AlexanderLandexpropriation.”
The BLF made headlines this week after staging a protest outside Times Media editor Peter Bruce’s house and releasing a list of other journalists’ names in what has been slammed as an act of intimidation against the media.
Mngxitama has previous approached the Gupta family for funding, according to leaked emails.
The BLF has ostensibly been defending the Guptas on the mistaken premise that the family is “black”.
He later tweeted another image of another alleged expropriation attempt under way in Ekurhuleni.
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