By MSINDISI FENGU
In a bid to protect villagers from unscrupulous property developers and illegal land invasions the provincial government wants villagers to be granted title deeds for the land they occupy.
These were sentiments shared by experts and echoed by premier Phumulo Masualle at a provincial summit on communal land policy.
The meeting was hosted by the provincial house of traditional leaders and the South African Local Government Association in East London yesterday.
It comes ahead of plans by the national Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) Minister Gugile Nkwinti to table the communal land tenure policy and bill before parliament in September.
Masualle said the government needed to guarantee land ownership in rural areas in order for communities to own land.
He said some communities had formed cooperatives to cultivate land but did not have proof they were the legal owners of the land.
“They don’t have a right to say, ‘This is my family’s field’. There must be a way that the law will allow people to legally own land and develop it.”
He said communities also needed to decide on what would happen on their land to avoid illegal occupation.
The communities would work with municipalities when Integrated Development Plans were developed in which spatial development plans were incorporated to ensure that land for development was identified.
Masualle said there were spiraling land invasions resulting in some settlements being occupied without authority.
The Daily Dispatch has published a number of reports of residents clashing with the government because they had built houses on land belonging to the state.
In 2015, the Dispatch reported that 24 homeowners in Dimbaza faced eviction and having their homes demolished after the government went to court to declare their occupation illegal.
In one incident, people illegally built homes on valuable land near the East London Airport.
Farm 871 in Greydell, otherwise known as Bongweni township, used to be owned by the national Department of Public Works but has since been given to BCM.
However, its occupation has stalled the planned expansion of the airport.
Chris Hani district municipality executive mayor Mxolisi Koyo said there had been cases where investors bribed individuals, including chiefs and councilors, to use communal land without an agreement being reached with communities.
“Private investors will come in and create a mess. They bribe people and divide the community. These are dirty dealings that in some instances result in 35-year leases being signed and people finding out later that they cannot use their land,” he said.
DRDLR head of policy Hilton Toolo said the new legislation would ensure land tenure security, democratic land governance, equitable land access, food security and inclusive governance.
He said the state planned to ensure families in rural areas would be legal owners of land.
“There are endless opportunities in this province. The government says bring back communal land to rightful owners. We need to stop fighting over the crumbs ,” Toolo said. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za