Land claim uncertainties mount

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is now facing even more uncertainties regarding outstanding land claims.

Rumours surrounding the resignation of dismissal of Tozi Gwanya, the director general of the department, were flying around for three weeks before Minister Gugile Nkwinti announced that Gwanya will be leaving the department at the end of July.

According to a media statement by the Democratic Alliance (DA) Sibusiso Gamede, deputy head land claims commissioner, recently admitted to farmers in KwaZulu-Natal that the department does not know how many land claims have already been finalised or how many are still outstanding.

Anette Steyn, DA spokesperson for land affairs, said this comment came after Nkwinti said to her earlier this year that the department has a complete database for land claims which is well-monitored.

Important factor

According to the statement it is vital that the department has a complete database for optimal functioning, as well as to measure productivity.

According to the DA a lesser system leads to stagnation in the department and land reform in the country.

“But it is once again clear that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. We are again forced to ask: ‘Who’s telling the truth?’,” Steyn asks.

She notes that Gamede possibly has no knowledge of the database to which Nkwinti referred, and if that is the case, questions arise about how well he is actually doing his job.

Previous uncertainties

Some of the previous cases that were shrouded in uncertainty include:

- The department first denied that land reform projects are unsuccessful, after which the minister acknowledged that 90% of land reform projects are failing.

- The department denied that it had outstanding debt to land owners, after which the Minister acknowledged that court battles of R497m were being waged over outstanding debt. A further R580m was owed to land owners.

- The department first denied that it had done a full audit of land, but the department later admitted that its audit wasn’t yet complete.

- Steyn says she will again request Nkwinti to provide the most relevant, but above all correct, information on his department. - Alani Janeke, Landbouweekblad

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