West Bank land restitution matter now before parliament

The plight of the West Bank land restitution beneficiaries has been referred to parliament in an attempt to enable the claimants to finally occupy land near King Phalo Airport in KuGompo City that they were awarded in a settlement in 2000.

The land is currently occupied by illegal occupants.

The matter was presented to parliament by DA MP Mlindi Nhanha during a budget vote on the portfolio of land reform and rural development.

He spoke about how more than 7,000 families were forcibly removed in Kwanongqongqo under the Bantu Administration Act of 1945 and the Group Areas Act of 1950.

Court orders and derailed construction, coupled with illegal occupants taking over the land, meant that for more than 20 years no work was done on the site, he said.

Speaking to the Dispatch, the elderly claimants, some of whom were among those removed between 1965 and 1968, spoke about the emotional strain of not being able to occupy their rightful land, saying some of them were closer to death than seeing the matter finalised.

An 80-year-old claimant, Lulama Ntlenge from NU1 Mdantsane, said there were constant stories about what was going to happen, but nothing ever came to fruition.

“I was 15 years old when I was removed from West Bank. I am now 80 years old and there have been many promises,” said Ntlenge.

“Every time there is a story, we have been seeking any comfort on this, but we will wait,” she said.

A tearful Braiden Busa, the son of one of the original claimants, said he had never lost hope that they would finally occupy their land.

“I have never lost hope, but I am encouraged that this will move faster now,” Busa said.

Kwanongqongqo community leader Sibonga Gqaji said that when the illegal occupants occupied the land in 2021, they had no alternative place to live.

“We came here and we put up our shacks because where we were staying, we were kicked out, and after about eight months law enforcement came and demolished our houses,” Gqaji said.

“The municipality said they would remove us and find us an alternative place.

“We were just told to take our shacks and go build them on a temporary site they [municipality] found for us.

“That is where we disagreed, because we wanted permanent land and proper houses, not shacks.

“We never refused to move; we just want a place to stay,” he said.

In a meeting between the claimants and the DA officials spearheading the matter, it was mentioned that the claimants were being billed by the municipality on their vacant land.

Nhanha said it went against logic that people would be billed for land they have not occupied, and that they were being prejudiced.

“It is ludicrous, it defies logic; these people seem to be prejudiced twice or three times,” Nhanha said.

“They are not being given the land they so deserve; some have never seen the land that they are being billed for.”

Municipal spokesperson Luzuko Buku said the municipality acknowledged the concerns raised by the West Bank claimants regarding the delays and that the municipality, alongside provincial and national organs of state, has taken active steps to complete the project.

“The leadership and management of the municipality are treating this project as a top priority,” Buku said.

“The Buffalo City Municipality is using a two-pronged approach, which is first insisting on the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to enforce the provisions of the site to be cleared, as it remains an active site which is under the implementation protocol of the HDA.

“We are secondly in the process of initiating steps to relocate the residents who illegally invaded the land to a temporary site on Farm 924.

“In addition to this we are screening the illegal occupying residents to check the possibility of them qualifying for envisaged future projects in the city,” he said.

Buku said though the claimants were indeed being billed, it was not for unrelated charges. They were only being billed for a fire levy and availability charge, as was the case for other sites.

“The municipality has had a meeting with the West Bank Restitution Association where we clarified that while billing statements are generated for each site as vacant land, the municipality only charges a fire and availability charge.

“Any claimant who believes they have been billed for anything else can contact the municipality to have that resolved,” Buku said.

The claimants are set to address the parliamentary portfolio committee on land reform and rural development on June 27.

Daily Dispatch