Families compensated for dispossession of land in KNP
President Jacob Zuma officially handed over cheques in respect of various land claims on the Kruger National Park (KNP) during a financial compensation handover ceremony on Saturday.
The ceremony was held at Skhukhuza camp and it was attended by at least more than 7 000 people.
The hand over is part of phase one of the settlement of land claims by communities from Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
The award of financial compensation is in line with the 2008 Cabinet Decision on equitable redress as the approved option for the settlement of the land claim on the KNP.
The cabinet decision took into consideration KNP’s status as a national and international asset which needed to be conserved for the benefit of the whole nation.
A total of 17 land claims were lodged on KNP by the initial cut off date of December 3 1998.
The claims will be settled in two phases comprising of financial compensation which is phase one and phase two which is the implementation of a beneficiation scheme for the claimant communities.
As part of phase one, six communities, three from Limpopo and three from Mpumalanga were awarded a total amount of R84 million.
In Limpopo the Madonsi/Nwadzekudzeku community with 135 households received a total of 14.9, Ndindani community with 52 household received R5.7 million and Muyexe community which comprises of 128 households received R14.2 million.
Zuma said other remaining claims are still being attended to.
The outstanding land claims are from the Makahane-Marithenga community, the Makhuva Mathebula community and the Baphalaborwa communities comprising the Baphalaborwa ba Mashishimale, Baphalaborwa ba Maseke, Baphalaborwa ba Selwane and Baphalaborwa ba Makhushane.
He also said it was a happy occasion to have gathered to restore the rights of those who were dispossessed of their land.
“We are truly pleased to join you today for an important event in the transformation programme in our country.
We have come together about land, to restore the rights of our people who were dispossessed.
Land has been a fundamental issue in the struggle for liberation,” said Zuma.
He also used the platform to honour the late chief Muyexe who passed away a few days after his community’s claims were processed.
“But as we celebrate this milestone in the history of Land Restitution in our country, it is with sadness that we remember the recent passing away of Chief Muyexe a few days after the approval of his community’s land claim,” he said.
Amongst those who attended the event was Minister of Rural Development and Land Affairs, Gugile Nkwinti, Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, Limpopo MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Joy Matshoge, Mpumalanga premier, David Mabuza, Mpumalanga MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Andries Gamede.
