Notable Land-Related Incidents in South Africa (March 2024 - March 2025):
Bloemfontein Informal Settlement Standoff (March 2024)
Location: Lourierpark district, Bloemfontein, Free State
Details: Hundreds of squatters occupied a field near privately-owned farmland, leading to a violent standoff with local residents. The occupation, reported on March 6, 2024, involved squatters building unauthorized homes, prompting legal action and highlighting the housing crisis ahead of the May 29, 2024, general election. 
Expropriation Act Signed into Law (January 23, 2025)
Location: Nationwide legislative change
Details: President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act No. 13 of 2024, allowing the government to expropriate land in the public interest, potentially without compensation in specific cases (e.g., unused or hazardous land). While no actual seizures of private property have been reported under this law as of March 10, 2025, it sparked significant controversy. U.S. 

Ongoing Illegal Land Occupations in Urban Areas (Throughout 2024)
Location: Various municipalities, e.g., Cape Town, Ekurhuleni
Details: Informal land occupations by poor communities continued across South Africa, driven by housing shortages. For instance, the City of Cape Town has used counter-spoliation measures to reclaim municipal land from unlawful occupiers, as affirmed in a 2022 case (escalating into 2024). These incidents, often termed "land grabs" in local discourse, involve desperate residents building shacks on state or private land. In Ekurhuleni, a 2018 council vote to expropriate land without compensation for housing resurfaced in discussions in 2024, though no new large-scale actions were reported in the last 12 months.
Status: Persistent issue with sporadic evictions and legal battles.

Rural Land Disputes and Farm Occupations (Scattered Reports, 2024)
Location: Rural areas, e.g., Mpumalanga, Western Cape
Details: Isolated reports of farm invasions or trespassing emerged, often linked to historical land claims or economic desperation.