Question NW769 to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
31 March 2022 - NW769
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
(a) What are the reasons that her department has failed to resolve the land claim of the residents of Lower Zingcuka in Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape, (b)(i) by what date is it envisaged the specified land claim will be resolved and (ii) at what cost and (c) what is the list of the beneficiaries of the land claim?
Reply:
a) The claim for Lower Zingcuka was investigated and the research was approved by the Regional Land Claims Commissioner. The claim proceeded to the next stage of the restitution process, verification. The delay in finalizing verification relate to fraudulent beneficiaries that have to be excluded from the claim. The office has engaged the community on several occasions explaining the qualification criteria for the restitution of land rights. Currently a screening process is in progress to exclude the illegitimate claimants to the list and include the eligible ones.
(b)(i) The claim is envisaged to be settled in Quarter of 3 of 2022/2023 financial year.
(ii) The monetary value of the claim is estimated at R46 887 316.00 based on the 146 households involved and the standard settlement offer of R321 146.00 per household. The actual monetary value will only be confirmed once the verification and valuation of the claimed land has been finalized.
(c) The office has a verification list of 146 originally dispossessed individuals (ODIs) which is subject to the screening process which is currently in progress. The final verification list can be made available once the process of screening has been finalized.
END