The community of Ntushu Ntushu, two farmers and Great Kei Mayor Ngenisile Tekile have put to bed a land issue in the Glen Eden area, with the two farmers proposing to sell 42ha to the government.
Following a land protest that left more than a dozen residents injured by rubber bullet wounds, two land owners, through a family trust, have put 42ha of land for sale to the government to develop “on behalf” of Ntushu Ntushu residents near Glen Eden in the Great Kei region.
In early February, 200 residents took to the street in the small farming community, leading to the arrests of some of them. Several of the residents were left wounded and some are due to appear before court on charges relating to public violence.
Two farmers have proposed to sell the land to the government under the condition that it builds a project for the 200 residents of Ntushu Ntushu. A meeting sat last Wednesday at Umnenga Lodge, where two farmers committed to make 42ha, which would house only the “200 residents on the master list”.
The two farmers said they were selling the land to the government to be able to house the people of Ntushu Ntushu. One of the land owners, Brewer Kriel, said they were willing to sell the land on condition that the project be environmentally sensitive to nature.
He said the land was next to a river. Umnenga Lodge owner Graham Stanton refused to comment to the media, but in the meeting he had said they would make the land available for sale and to be developed. Stanton and the Kriel family made the decision after the protest.
He added that he was conscious about environmental issues and didn’t want these to stand in the way of the project. Tekile confirmed to the Daily Dispatch that the land owners were making the land available for the department of rural development & land reform to buy and develop for the people of Ntushu Ntushu. Tekile said once the council reaches an agreement with the department, they would take care of the details, including zoning and the environment.
Tekile said his office had requested for rural development figureheads to be available at Wednesday’s meeting. After the meeting, Lieutenant-Colonel Tolisile Mdyogolo stayed behind to chat with the residents about the commotion that happened before the meeting...