Nearly three decades after lodging a land claim, the Zwelabantu Dube community recently celebrated new development milestones and renewed hope in Blythedale.

The Zwelabantu Dube Communal Property Association (ZDCPA) recently met at the newly opened operational site, where members celebrated the formal strengthening of community operations, following a long, complex history of land restitution.

Speaking at the celebration, ZDCPA secretary Nonhlanhla Gina Mahlambi said the association now controls 1 200 hectares of land, including sugar cane farms, timber plantations and land earmarked for future development.

She said planned developments include social housing, an estate, a hotel and a school, projects expected to create jobs and improve local services in the area.

“We now have land that will help us build a future for our people,” said Mahlambi.

The association has also formed Inkosi ZCPA Holdings to manage farming operations and engage with government and private investors.

Newly acquired equipment, including trucks, tractors, a TLB and a pay loader, were unveiled during the event.

The ZDCPA represents 687 verified households from the Dube community, who hold land rights linked to a major restitution claim lodged in 1998. The claim, which initially exceeded R200-million, was part of South Africa’s land reform programme aimed at restoring land taken during apartheid-era removals.

The land claimed also included property previously owned by Roger Stewart of New Guelderland, forming part of a broader settlement covering thousands of hectares.

Over the years, the ZDCPA has faced governance challenges and leadership and financial disputes, which at times prompted attention from the Parliamentary Monitoring Group and the Department of Land Reform and Rural Development.

These interventions aimed to stabilise leadership structures and protect beneficiaries while improving accountability in the management of community assets.

Despite these difficulties, the association continues to manage land holdings and co-ordinate development plans.