LAND Reform and Rural Development minister, Gugile Nkwinti, says government will deal harshly with those found to be involved in corrupt practices across various land reform programmes. The minister said this when he officially received a list of state farms that have been recovered by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). At least 29 farms have been recovered.

The farms were recovered following investigations by the SIU and the Assets Forfeiture Unit (AFU) on State properties in KwaZulu-Natal.

“We should also give notice to people who are involved in these fraudulent and corrupt practices out there that we will act firmly to ensure that we punish them. We will not tolerate anything that will deny people the opportunity to improve the quality of their lives.

“We want people out there, who have been looking at what’s happening and thinking that government and the criminal justice system are doing nothing, to know we have been working quietly. The significance of the above investigations and recoveries is that the alleged offences affect rural communities, our most vulnerable members of society, who often continue to be deprived and marginalised by the delay in the delivery of the much needed services in society,” he said.

It is alleged at the time farms were fraudulently sold and transferred to individuals and community trusts for the benefit of individuals, who were not eligible to be beneficiaries. It was also alleged that rightful beneficiaries were removed from beneficiary lists and replaced with fictitious people.