15/06/2026
Poor and working-class people reject the PIE Act Amendment Bill of 2026, which seeks to criminalise landlessness.
Press statement: 15 June 2026
On the eve of Youth Day, poor and working-class communities from across Cape Town, together with civil society organisations under the solidarity space, marched to Parliament to reject the proposed Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment Bill, 2026.
The march formed part of growing concerns opposing the Bill, which communities believe threatens the rights of landless and homeless people by further criminalising poverty and undermining existing protections against unjust evictions. We delivered a submission and petition rejecting the proposed amendments and calling on the Department of Human Settlements to withdraw the Bill.
Upon arrival at Parliament, Charles Ford, a representative of the Presidency, accepted the submissions on behalf of the government.
The proposed PIE Amendment Bill has generated widespread concern among housing activists, community organisations and residents across the country. Communities fear that the Bill will weaken important legal protections currently available to people facing eviction and place additional burdens on those already struggling to access land and housing. Of particular concern are provisions that could limit protections for unlawful occupiers facing eviction and introduce severe penalties, including fines of up to R2 million and imprisonment, for those accused of encouraging or facilitating land occupations.
For many communities, the Bill echoes South Africa’s long history of dispossession and the criminalisation of poor and working-class people seeking shelter, land and dignity. Rather than addressing the country's deepening housing crisis, the proposed amendments threaten to punish those who are most affected by it.
The PIE Act of 1998 remains one of the most important legal protections available to people facing eviction, displacement and homelessness. It requires courts to consider dignity, equality and the circumstances of occupiers before granting eviction orders, particularly where homelessness may result. These protections are especially important in a country still grappling with the legacy of apartheid spatial planning and land dispossession.
With more than 3 million people on housing waiting lists nationally, communities have expressed overwhelming opposition to the proposed amendments. Thousands of people have added their names to petitions rejecting the Bill, while organisations and residents across the country continue to mobilise against what they view as an attempt to criminalise landlessness instead of addressing its root causes.
The housing crisis in South Africa cannot be solved through harsher laws and criminal sanctions. The government must fulfil its constitutional obligations by ensuring access to adequate housing and addressing the structural causes of landlessness, homelessness and spatial inequality.
As the deadline for public submissions closes on June 16, we are calling on the department of human settlements to listen to the voices of those most affected and withdraw the PIE Amendment Bill.
PICTURES FROM THE MARCH: https://ndifunaukwazi.pixieset.com/rejectionofthepieamendmentbillof2026/
ENDS
Photo collection by Ndifuna Ukwazi
