Pretoria land claim continues despite ‘chief’s’ murder

The 48-year-old, who ran an initiation school in Mamelodi, had residents in the east and north of Pretoria up in arms after lodging the multibillion-rand land claim. He was gunned down at the gate of his 16-year-old girlfriend’s home in Mamelodi West on Tuesday night, police confirmed.

According to Lerato Sehlapelo of the regional land claims commission, the commission would continue to process the claim on behalf of the Bakgatla ba Lekhuleni community as ordered by the Land Claims Court, Rekord East reported

Meanwhile, chief land claims commissioner Nomfundo Gobodo expressed sadness on Wednesday morning over the death of Lekhuleni.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by his death. We send our condolences to his family,” Gobodo said in a statement.

The land claim, launched by Lekhuleni several years ago, involves almost the entire new east and half of the north of Pretoria, including all the suburbs, schools, churches, shopping centres, parks, private homes, farms and smallholdings.

The commission dismissed the claim, but was later ordered to process it by the Land Claims Court. Some of Lekhuleni’s neighbours and family members also opposed the land claim, saying he was not a chief and not of royal blood.

“What he is doing is against the law – walking around wearing traditional garb and skins and pretending to be a chief is misleading the people and disrespecting the Lekhuleni name,” a representative from the Lekhuleni family said last month.

The Land Claims Commission was in the process of investigating Lekhuleni’s background as well as the legality of his claim at the time of his death.

Police are still investigating the death, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting are sketchy at this stage.

– Caxton News Service