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Residents in Lokwe Villages near Alice have never tasted development since the advent of the new dispensation, the MEC for Roads and Public Works, Mr Pumulo Masualle heard.

These residents raised their concerns as being the lack of electricity, community hall, clinics, poor conditions of roads, and schools. They claim that their attempts to have these services rendered to them have been hampered by the fact they were told that they are not legal occupants of that land and therefore could not receive social development services. They cited an example of a school that they requested or applied for, but their request or application was turned down on the basis that they did not have the title deeds for the land they are occupying.

On further probing the MEC heard that these communities are occupying the land that was previously owned by white farmers who have since left the farms and the area. The land was then taken back by the State.

Residents in various farms then formed themselves into one community group under the new name and are now known as Masakhane Community. Masakhane then showed an interest of further occupying and utilising the land under their ownership and for their continued survival by engaging in agricultural activities. It however emerged that their interests on the utilisation of the land were diverse, others wanted the land for just settlement purposes and others wanted the land for farming and related activities.

Assisted by officials from the Department of Land Affairs the community made their proposal on their intentions to utilise the land to the ministry. Their proposal was approved and that land was legally and officially granted to them on the basis that they have long been settling or occupying that land.

Their frustrations then stems from the fact that they do not understand why they can't be allowed to utilise the land whereas in their understanding the land officially belongs to them.

In response to these frustrations the MEC undertook to follow the matter up with the intention to ascertain the facts and try to find out where the blockages could be with respect to the acquisition of the title deed.

On following the issue the MEC established that the facts around the issue of Masakhane residents were in fact true and that the title deed was indeed the outstanding issue with respect to the whole issue. However, the matter itself has not been lost nor neglected rather the process of completing the entire issue has been delayed by the fact that certain legal processes had to be followed before the title deed could be issued. The process include the identification of the legal entity through which registration of the property should be done, this process takes too long a period. The good news for the Masakhane residents is that the process has been completed and their legal entity is the Communal Property Association (CPA) and registration has already been done.

The matter now is at a point where the Department of Land Affairs is waiting for the issuing of the registration certificate after which the title deed will also be issued. The MEC learnt that registration certificate will be obtainable within two weeks from now and that the whole process will be completed by the end of September 2001.

A community meeting has already organised whose purpose will be to explain the process and at which point it is by now so as to ease the frustrations of the Masakhane residents. The meeting will be held at Lokwe village on Friday, 24 August 2001.

The MEC visited the area as part of the week long government outreach programme led by the Premier, Rev. M Stofile at Inxuba and Nkonkobe Municipalities.

Enquiries: Andile Fekisi, Media Liaison Officer

Issued by the Office of the MEC for Roads and Public Works, Eastern Cape, 17 August 2001