MBOMBELA – Land disputes in Mataffin culminated in the arrest of the chairman of the Economic Freedom Fighters recently.
Mr Edwin Ngomane appeared in court on Friday November 13 on charges of theft and fraud related to the alleged illegal sale of stands in the area.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesman Sgt Gerald Sedibe, the SAPS commercial crimes unit started making arrests in June. After Ngomane’s they now total 14.
Sedibe said the plots were sold over a period starting in September 2014. At the time of going to print he could not confirm how many plots had been sold, but each was suspected to have cost buyers more than R10 000.
The Matsafeni Trust and members of the Mdluli clan won the property from HL Halls & Sons in a land-restitution settlement in 2003. The matter of “unlawful occupiers” on the land had been taken to the High Court.
Ngomane, who claimed to be a beneficiary of the Matsafeni Trust, said the arrests were politically motivated. “The land belongs to the trust, not the municipality.” Each accused had been released on bail of R2 000 and were all due to reappear in court in Mbombela on December 8.
In June three houses and a tuck shop, allegedly connected to the illegal sale of stands, were set on fire.
The eight people facing charges of arson and public violence related to this case were also due back in court on December 8.
Mr Kenneth Mkhonto, the municipal ward councillor in the area, Ms Constance Maseko, a member of the mayoral committee as well as Messrs Jerry Siboza, Frazer Nyoni, Bongani Mabunda, Wonder Phuri, Nomcebo Mashelo, and Dumisani Makhubela were released on R1 000 bail each in July.
