'No quick-fix solution to land question '
RURAL Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti has warned of dire consequences if the majority of people adopt a quick-fix solution mentality to the troubling question of land in South Africa.
DISCOMFORT: Gugile Nkwinti
"Many countries that attained freedom long ago are still battling to resolve the land question. They say they are watching us to see how we deal with the issue," Nkwinti said.
He was speaking at HaMasia village in Limpopo on Saturday, where his department has pledged to construct a multi-million rand multipurpose centre.
The centre will house, among other things, a library, computer laboratory, a hall and sports facilities.
The community of HaMasia has lodged a disjointed restitution claim to a vast tract of land. Various structures and individuals have separately lodged the claim on the same land and this was delaying resolution of the matter, the minister said.
Nkwinti asked the community to consolidate their claims for the speedy resolution of the matter, which was causing discomfort in the community.
He said the land question remained a problem in most parts of the world and had nothing to do with race. Several countries in Africa, where there were no white people, were still battling with the issue, he said.
Nkwinti said a lot of technical work had almost been completed and that construction of the multipurpose centre was expected to start in March.
The haMasia Development Trust has partnered with the University of Venda and other private companies to identify opportunities for the community.
Chief Thovhele Mbangiseni Masia said development in the area would provide hope and help bring back dignity to his people.
Nkwinti and Limpopo MEC for agriculture Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba handed out vouchers totalling R6-million to 120 members of the Maapana community as compensation for their land. which was dispossessed in 1975.
Livelove2love
Dear Minister – Land is a problem in deed however something must be done. The v o u chers are good and resolving land claims is also good. Please look at the need for land that is in Gauteng. I wish you visit Tembisa, Alexanda, Disploot, Skodipola, Stop 10, Gemiston etc and see how over crowded those places are.Report Abuse
cox$pus
My dear, the land issue around Gauteng is a big challenge and will not be resolved until we address the issue of employment in rural areas. Gauteng came to be as a result of people migrating from, predominantly rural areas to go and seek better job opportunities. Some chose to abandon their families in the villages where they come from and established new ones in GP. For example, why do we have abattoirs in towns when livestock production is in rural areas? It is expensive to transport live animals than carcasses. These are the sort of things that need to be addressed before we can move forward as a nation.Report Abuse
ApelMankotsana
In our country the land issue has anything to do with race. The Natives Land Act of 1913 created a system of land tenure that deprived South Africans, and more on particular, Black people, of their right to own land which had major socio-economic repurcussions.. The land reform policies introduced by the ANC does not work. Seventeen years down the line, only 1/3 of the land has been re-distributed to its rightful owners. The concept of the willing seller-willing buyer has failed us. The only solution to the land issue is to evenly and urgently use other methods of land edistribution which will speed up the land redistribution issue.Report Abuse
P4T
just how many hectares of land is a family of 120 members supposed to support itself? Hopefully government will not contribute into more poverty in the restitution of the land - meaning it not giving the community economically viable hectarage of land, implements and required assets, agribusiness skills, adequate access to finance for inputs and also facilitating market access for their agriculture produce. Unfortunately for land to be productive. Most countries including developed nations all over the world subsidize land acquisitions and production even to this day but little investment is made by the South African Government. The resultant is to either see most lands lying fallow or productive agricultural land being transformed into shanty poverty rural villages which triggers a cycle of migration into urban centres of the country. that government has no holistic implementation strategy to deal with this is even worse because INCOMPETENT people are employed.Report Abuse