The Alexandra Land and Property Owners Association (Alpoa) will hold a members-only meeting on 16 July at the Roman Catholic Church School hall on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Rev Sam Buti Street starting at 9am.
Among the issues to be discussed will be the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Alpoa and the two spheres of government, being the Gauteng Government and the City of Johannesburg on one side, and on the other side, the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) which will be representing the tenants of some of the properties.
Alpoa leaders are expected to unpack the contents of the MOU to their members and what the signing entails in view of the restoration of the land and property rights in the township. The leaders will also articulate the impact of the MOU on the court interdict which Alpoa obtained against the Gauteng Government and the City of Johannesburg and its implementing agency, the Alexandra Renewal Project at the height of the struggle for land and property rights.
The government options with regard to the restoration of land and property rights include the options of being given money for the stands in question or being given land outside Alexandra to build new houses or government coming to the party and building the houses for the claimants.
The leaders are also expected to announce the date of the holding of the Alexandra Redevelopment Summit, the aim of which is to outline the development of the township, post the land and property rights restorations.
Another contentious issue to be tabled at the meeting will be the commemoration of the centenary year of the old Health Committee building, where the founding fathers of Alpoa used to run the township from before it was taken over by the City of Johannesburg.
The building, which has been declared a national heritage site, is now 100 years old. It was established in 1916 – four years after the first stands were bought from the owner of the farm, Herbert Papenfus, who then named the settlement after his wife, Alexandra.
Alpoa leaders have called on their members to come in their numbers to this crucial meeting to hear for themselves about the issues around their land and property claims.
