Residents of a village near Corhana have accused their headman of allocating plots on a graveyard to the highest bidder to build houses.
The villagers alleged that Mongezi Ndamase sold the plots on the Ncipizeni administrative area graveyard land for R15000.
Ndamase yesterday denied any involvement in the sale of plots, but admitted knowing that illegal land grabs were happening. He claimed they were done by local youths who undermined his traditional powers.
Leading the accusation against Ndamase is sub-headman Nozipho Mhlana, 66, who alleged the headman was in cahoots with the culprits.
Villagers of Ncipizeni, situated about 7km from Mthatha, vowed to stop anyone from building on the plots by any means necessary.
They said they had tried in vain to convince Ndamase against allocating plots on land for graves.
When the Dispatch visited the village this week, at least four plots had been fenced off. Residents claimed there were graves on the land, however, they were no longer visible.
Graves could however be seen a stone’s throw from the demarcated areas. The villagers said the problem started in 2012 when grazing land and a piece of land meant for community projects were illegally grabbed.
Mhlana said: “The last straw was when they started allocating plots on the graveyard. Culturally, graves are supposed to sacred places.”
The villagers said they reported the illegal land grabs to Western Mpondoland King Ndamase Ndamase and cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa.
The king ordered that the land grabs be stopped while Xasa tasked a Mthatha official to intervene last year, which the villagers said did not help.
Villager Hombakazi Nonkonyana, 55, vowed that they will stop anyone from building “on top of our forefathers”.
“If they do not stop fencing around the graves, we will stop them by all means necessary even if that means we have to cut down their fence and the poles they used.”
Fellow villager Nomgqibelo George, 57, and others agreed with Nonkonyana.
Ndamase said when he and land committee member Dean Bambani visited the area last week to listen to villagers, they hurled insults at him and threatened him. “But I saw that some plots with graves have been allocated which is really disturbing. I saw the graves in the plots.
“I heard that it is the youth that sells the plots which undermines the great place because that was done without my knowledge,” he said.
Ndamase said he would report the matter to Western Mpondolond Chief Bhongolwethu Ndamase.
Ward 12 councillor Zanemfundo Mamve said: “Any step the community decide to take and think is best to resolve this is right.
“I am 100% behind the community,” he said. — ndamasem@dispatch. co.za
Headman accused of selling graveyard plots
The villagers alleged that Mongezi Ndamase sold the plots on the Ncipizeni administrative area graveyard land for R15000.
Ndamase yesterday denied any involvement in the sale of plots, but admitted knowing that illegal land grabs were happening. He claimed they were done by local youths who undermined his traditional powers.
Leading the accusation against Ndamase is sub-headman Nozipho Mhlana, 66, who alleged the headman was in cahoots with the culprits.
Villagers of Ncipizeni, situated about 7km from Mthatha, vowed to stop anyone from building on the plots by any means necessary.
They said they had tried in vain to convince Ndamase against allocating plots on land for graves.
When the Dispatch visited the village this week, at least four plots had been fenced off. Residents claimed there were graves on the land, however, they were no longer visible.
Graves could however be seen a stone’s throw from the demarcated areas. The villagers said the problem started in 2012 when grazing land and a piece of land meant for community projects were illegally grabbed.
Mhlana said: “The last straw was when they started allocating plots on the graveyard. Culturally, graves are supposed to sacred places.”
The villagers said they reported the illegal land grabs to Western Mpondoland King Ndamase Ndamase and cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa.
The king ordered that the land grabs be stopped while Xasa tasked a Mthatha official to intervene last year, which the villagers said did not help.
Villager Hombakazi Nonkonyana, 55, vowed that they will stop anyone from building “on top of our forefathers”.
“If they do not stop fencing around the graves, we will stop them by all means necessary even if that means we have to cut down their fence and the poles they used.”
Fellow villager Nomgqibelo George, 57, and others agreed with Nonkonyana.
Ndamase said when he and land committee member Dean Bambani visited the area last week to listen to villagers, they hurled insults at him and threatened him. “But I saw that some plots with graves have been allocated which is really disturbing. I saw the graves in the plots.
“I heard that it is the youth that sells the plots which undermines the great place because that was done without my knowledge,” he said.
Ndamase said he would report the matter to Western Mpondolond Chief Bhongolwethu Ndamase.
Ward 12 councillor Zanemfundo Mamve said: “Any step the community decide to take and think is best to resolve this is right.
“I am 100% behind the community,” he said. — ndamasem@dispatch. co.za
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