POLOKWANE – The Ward 19 community in Polokwane will hold a meeting in the Westenburg hall at 18:00 tonight, to discuss the latest feedback from the municipality with regards to the call made to local and provincial government that they benefit 80% of the land adjacent to Ext 40, for housing purposes and not just 383 already set out for them as was announced in August during a Polokwane council sitting.
The representatives of the claimants met with municipal officials yesterday, and reached what seemed like an amicable conclusion to allocate more above what was already given community representive, Elfrino Makhura mentioned.
He advised Nirvana, Westenburg, Old Ivy Park and Rainbow park residents to attend the meeting, as it would assist in responding to the demands made in recent years, following government’s outstanding responsibility to allocate stands to ‘deserving’ citizens who were removed from the Old Pietersburg area, for land restitution purposes post-democracy and not all of them were presented with alternatives.
While others were left to cope unaided, others moved in with their own families to relatives, mostly residing in Ward 19.
“The houses have since become cramped as the combined families developed. This contributes to poverty lines, especially people were never compensated”
The above statement was one of many told to the Observer in August when the claimants instituted protests, some violent, in demand of the land.
Ahead of the current progress, they approached the local municipality, human settlements and land reform departments and Premier, Chupu Mathabatha’s office for engagements for its expropriation.
On August 30, a municipal council resolution document, which the Observer has a copy of, resolved to allocate the land of 383 stands to the claimants, on top of a considerable more, a matter which the residents stood against in demand of 80%.
They raised the discontentment in writing to ward councillor, Joosuf Pemma in writing and requested that he raises it in council, which he reports to have done.
This has since yielded the talk to increase the land allocations to more, as claimed by the community, following a meeting yesterday with municipal officials.
