HAZYVIEW – The first scheduled elective annual general meeting (AGM) of Sandford Community Trust in over 10 years failed to materialise as planned after an incomplete beneficiary list halted the election of new trustees.
Hundreds of community members, including the families and elders who were supposed to benefit from the Sandford land claim, made their way to the Mbombela Local Municipality on March 15, awaiting the opportunity to vote and elect new trustees as well as getting clarification on the annual progress and financial statements of the trust.
This, however, did not happen as the debate between the trustees secretary,
Mr Riebs Khoza and angry and impatient residents raged on with regard to the setting up of an agenda which apparently did not adhere to the main purpose of the AGM. Proposals to skip the annual report and financial statements because of time constraints were met with stern feedback.
The list of 210 beneficiaries was incomplete which meant that a fair election, commissioned by the IEC and the commissioner of land claims, could not proceed.
This non-election of new trustees has left the community up in arms over the lack of planning from the trustees who were scheduled by a High Court order to set up the meeting and make sure that the election took place in an orderly and fair manner.
Elders sat for more than four hours in the hot tents in the blazing sun waiting for something to happen, only to leave the meeting angry and disappointed.
The wheels had already started to come off at the end of last year on November 30, 2014 when at a special general meeting, a vote of no confidence was proposed on the current trustees.
The Gauteng High Court handed a court order on December 12, 2014 for an AGM to be held within a period of three months. The main purpose was to pave the way for an election of trustees, which should take place every three years.
According to the court order the election would have had bearing on trustees who are obliged to retire and be replaced or re-elected in terms of the provisions set out in the trust deed.
The Sandford Community Trust beneficiaries have been involved in a long battle with the trustees over rightful land claims and the approval of these.
In 2003 the Sandford Community Trust Deed was established with initial trustees being selected. Since then no annual AGM has been held to elect permanent trustees from the indicated 621 households involved.
A date has now been scheduled for the AGM to take place this Sunday in Hazyview, at a venue yet to be confirmed.
