Hundreds of Kuni village land claimants outside East London have been left high and dry as a result of administrative bungling by the department of rural development & land reform, according to applicants.
Families were forcibly removed by the Ciskei homeland government in January 1986 and relocated to Needs Camp (Pumlani) in 1987.
Identified as an area for reparations under the Restitution of Land Rights Act, a monetary claim was lodged by claimant Man-kuntswana Buweni on December 31 1998.
In 2009, 1,200 Kuni village families embarked on the reparations process and started submitting claims to the department of rural development & land reform in 2012.
According to residents, there was an initial hold-up as “dishonest” people whose families had never lived in Kuni were submitting claims, but these elements were later weeded out by the state.
Claimant King Dyani said once the matter was resolved, a decision was taken to divide Kuni into six areas of origin – Tyotyombeni Paratyana, Reyini, Pandeshini, Mthala and Elulama – to make the reparations process easier to manage.
Each area would also be represented by one or two members on a Kuni committee, which would liaise with the department and also ensure that claims and claimants were legitimate. In a further move, the 1,200 families would be divided into two phases. This was aimed at ensuring that the process would not stall if there were disputes among individual families.
“If there were disputes, then that family would be handled in phase two, so those families without disputes could be catered for without delay,” Dyani said.
Eventually, 644 families were approved by the department in phase one, with each family due to receive a one-off cash payment of R221,894.
However, the process hit a bump when the department’s lists did not correspond with those of the Kuni village committee.
“My family was originally from Paratyana, but according to the land reform department’s lists we are from Mthala.
“That was the first mistake by the department, and they haven’t rectified it to this day,” Dyani said.
There was hope on the horizon, however. In August last year, the 644 families in phase one were told to submit bank statements and certified copies of their identity documents to the department to get the compensation process under way.
“We submitted our documents as instructed,” Dyani said.
In September, the families were called to another meeting with the department’s financial unit at the Pumlani Hall.
“The financial unit told us that if we had submitted our documentation, we would be issued with a document by the department. What was different was that instead of the whole family receiving the R221,000, that document would state the share each member of the family would receive,” Dyani said.
He said some villagers received their document and were paid out from September.
However, each time Dyani went back to receive this document from the department, he said he was asked to undergo a family verification process again.
This happened three times, he said.
“Maybe two-thirds of the 644 families have not received it [pay out]. Then last month , my brother attended another meeting at Pumlani Hall, and heard that the department had now moved on to the phase two families.
“He asked a department official why they were dealing with phase two when not everyone in phase one had been dealt with. That official [allegedly] told him the lady dealing with the matter was on maternity leave.
“We don’t even know when she will be coming back.”
Head of the Kuni village committee, Anthony Wandlala, said he was aware that hundreds of families were encountering problems in receiving the document.
“My advice is for Mr Dyani and other families to come to me so we can sort out this problem because I am speaking with the department.
“This is something I am busy with all the time, so they can come and explain what is happening,” Wandlala said.
Funeka Malusi, the acting chief director of the regional land claims commission for the Eastern Cape, said the total award for the Kuni community phase one was R143.1m.
“Eighty percent of the 644 household signed their household agreements and 56% of the awards have been paid into beneficiary accounts.
“The process of payment for phase one beneficiaries is ongoing and a next visit is being planned for April to attend to the outstanding issues, including Mr Dyani and other beneficiaries,” Malusi said.
“The office is currently finalising claimant verification for phase two to prepare for settlement of the remaining households. This process does not interfere with payment of phase one beneficiaries.”..