The Referendum Party is calling for the Western Cape to close its border with South Africa to end the large-scale illegal land invasions which have plagued the province for years.

The current situation is simply not tenable. According to Stats SA, 30% of the Western Cape population was not born in the province, and the rate of immigration is rapidly increasing.

Illegal land invasions extract a huge toll from the communities they affect, and these are largely driven by new arrivals to the province, and are protected from eviction in most cases by the extensive squatters’ rights legislation under the PIE Act and the ESTA Act, which impose a near-six-month process on those seeking evictions, during which time violence and intimidation of legal landowners is the norm.

Referendum Party leader, Phil Craig, says,

“This is a burning issue in the Western Cape and the Western Cape people are furious about it. It has a massive environmental impact, it encroaches upon their historical territory, it steals resources away from legal residents, and to add insult to injury, in many cases government policy then actively advantages those here illegally over those here legally when it comes to employment.”

A referendum on Cape Independence will provide the democratic mandate to close the border. Thereafter, Craig says,

“The Western Cape must close the border and implement strict immigration protocols which are non-racial, and in line with international norms. Regardless of their race, all people must be welcome to come the Western Cape, but they must do so legally and in a manner which enhances the quality of life for existing Western Cape citizens as opposed to causing them harm and distress.”

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