A landmark case in the Supreme Court of Appeal that may have a bearing on all future land issues in South Africa has started in Bloemfontein. Forty thousand people living at Modderklip, a piece of land next to Daveyton near the border between Gauteng and Mpumalanga could be evicted if their case fails. However, the direction the government would take is at present the main issue and the topic of international interest. Three years ago the Johannesburg High Court agreed to the request for an eviction order by Abraham Duvenhage, the owner of the farm. However, according to the Modderklip residents Duvenhage could not pay the sheriff the R1.8 million to carry out the eviction. He requested the Pretoria High Court to force the State to implement the laws and provide suitable accommodation for the 40 000 or compensate the land owner.