Land dispute in Mpumalanga as claimants clash over farm ownership

There’s a big fight over land in Mpumalanga and it doesn’t involve expropriation without compensation, or even white farmers – it’s a battle between two groups who believe they were dispossessed of the same tract of land.

Nkomazi Game Reserve is the site of a clash between the residents of Vergelegen Farm and the department of land reform and rural development.

Vergelegen Farm is situated in Badplaas, a few kilometres from Nkomazi local municipality where the Nkomazi Game Reserve is situated.

Residents and government embroiled in land dispute

The squabble started recently when the community claimed their parents had successfully claimed the land they were occupying, but the authorities refused to hand over the title deed.

A source told The Citizen that instead of giving the title deed to the “rightful” owners, the department opted to hand over the ownership of the farm to the families that were claiming ownership of the Nkomazi Game Reserve, just to silence them.

“What I know is that the department is trying to protect the game reserve, so whoever tried to claim its ownership was given a piece of land on the farms near the reserve,” said the source.

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“The complaint is valid because the land was given to other people and the department claims that they can’t locate the data relating to their claim.”

The residents yesterday said they tried in vain to convince the government to hand over the title deed.

Community leader Lucky Maseko alleged the farm in question was successfully claimed by the elders some years ago, but they delayed collecting the title deed from the department’s head office in Tshwane.

Delay in collecting title deed

“We went to the land affairs offices in Mbombela and we were told to approach their office in Piet Retief,” said Maseko.

“But they told us they can’t locate the information about the farm that we are occupying.”

He said about 40 households residing on the farm want proof of ownership so that they could be able to develop their farming businesses.

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He said most of the residents in the area were raising livestock and other farming-orientated businesses.

“The officials from the department took advantage of our illiterate parents and told them the only way to get the title deeds was to go to Tshwane,” he said.

“Without having any proof of ownership, we are not safe because people can come and evict us anytime.”

Maseko family stayed on farm since 1977

Maseko said his family stayed on the farm since 1977, while others have been there longer.

It is not the first time Badplaas farm communities accused the department of giving the farm to the claimants who were not part of the community.

Tomorrow, officials from the department are expected to meet more than 10 families from Theeboom Farm, just a few kilometres from Vergelegen Farm, to talk about allegations of handing over the land to the “wrong claimants”.

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The Theeboom Farm residents also claim they were not consulted before the land they are occupying was handed to other people.

They claim that those who are in possession of the title deed came and destroyed their agriculture projects to make way for the development in the area.

Department of rural development and land reform spokesperson Zithini Dlamini denied the allegations.

Dept denies allegations

“The property in question is owned by the Mashoba Community Trust after a successful restitution claim that was lodged with the department in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act 22 of 1994),” she said.

“The complainants and other families are currently residing on this property as farm occupiers and are not members of the trust.

“The department has on many occasions attempted to engage the farm occupiers to establish the extent of their rights to secure their tenure security as it is the mandate of this department.

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“However, the farm occupiers do not want to cooperate as they feel they are the owners as they have been staying on this property for many years.”

Dlamini said the department needs to conduct a land rights inquiry to determine and establish their rights, then engage the current owners of the land. Mashoba Community Trust, to negotiate the release of the portion they reside on or an alternative portion to secure their tenure rights.

She added the occupiers were not willing to cooperate with the officials from the department.